Bending Boundaries
by CzarBetchimov
Summary: Sequel to APS and SFJ - As 10th grade draws to a close, the students of Kadic Academy grow restless for the coming summer break. With final exams and a dance looming, hilarity, drama, emotional disasters and drastic personal changes, are only the tip of the teenage iceberg as everybody tries to keep daily life in one piece... Rated T for typical teenage stuff - OxA, UxE, JxOC, Yx?
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to the long awaited continuation of A Problem Solved and Somebody for Jeremy! This story dives deeper into continuing and budding romances, confusion, heartache, hilarity and jealousy of the Lyoko Warriors and surrounding students, all twirled around the end of 10th grade at Kadic Academy, with a dance/DJ competition, final exams, and a much needed summer vacation looming. (Oh, and the pairings are not the usual cup of tea...)_

 ** _Have fun!_**

* * *

Ulrich pressed his fingers against his forehead, overhearing Sissi's reminder of another rave-infused dance and DJ competition at the Academy's gym.

 _Awesome. Another round of fun and mayhem. Something stupid will probably happen, or Xana will attack like that one time and try to kidnap Aelita again. Or, like usual, William will try to serenade Yumi... Even though he can't even dance._

His face cracked into a smile, remembering Odd's retelling of that moment.

 _Can't be good at everything. Not that you're particularly good at anything... Hah. **  
**_

"Aelita, are you going to DJ again?"

His ears perked as the classroom grew quiet, several students awaiting her reply.

She looked at Odd sitting beside her, but he simply smiled, implying it was her decision to make.

"Probably... I'll have to think about it."

"You've killed it every year!"

"You have to, Aelita!"

"Christophe needs your mixes!"

Ulrich smiled as the red-haired girl blushed from the variety of responses.

 _Aelita... Kadic's secret weapon in the yearly DJ competition. Came out of nowhere with nothing, and yet she's moving on up in the local scene._

Heads turned as the school bell started ringing, and the entire class churned into motion as students gathered their books and bags, and headed for the hallway just outside. Slipping into the crowd, Ulrich squeezing out of the doorway, and seconds after escaping, Sissi appeared by his side.

"Ulrich sweety, you're going to the dance, aren't you?"

Tilting his head to the side with hesitance, a breath left his lungs.

"I... guess."

"Oh good! See you there!"

Watching her vanish in the opposite direction, he rolled his eyes.

 _Nice. Guess I'll be playing hide and seek tonight._

Stepping back into motion and following straggling students out of the door, he stepped out into the late afternoon sun, and wandered his way across the courtyard.

 _One more class, and then dinner, and then an hour or so of setting up the gym, and then, another crazy rave dance until midnight._

Out of nowhere, Yumi appeared in the distance, and he quickly strolled up by her side.

"Hey."

"Ulrich."

"Are you going to the dance tonight?"

"Actually, no."

 _What?_

"Is there a certain reason?" He drawled.

"Going out to dinner with visiting family. A little reconnecting, you know."

A quiet sigh left his lungs.

 _Well, no William to worry about... Not that he matters anyway.  
_

"Alright. Thanks for telling me."

"Sorry." Yumi frowned, but Ulrich shook his head, and smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Family is always more important."

 _Unless your family is as ridiculous as mine..._

Ulrich looked away for a moment, and then back at her as her arms crossed.

"You have a good time."

She nodded, and the two parted in different directions.

 _Alright. Yumi isn't going. Now to find somebody who is... Or I could just not bother at all. But then I'd be bored out of my skull._

* * *

Ulrich tapped his fingers on the classroom table he was sitting at, looked at Odd, sitting with Aelita, and Jeremy, sitting with Natalia.

 _Yeah. Obvious dates there._

He looked down at the notebook sitting in front of him, and tapped it with the eraser end of the pencil in his hand. His eyes wandered around the room, and after a moment, he looked at all of the familiar classmates, besides his best friends, and names were recited in his mind.

Then, his eyes fell upon her.

 _Emily._

Ulrich looked around the room carefully, and after watching the teacher for a moment, he slowly drew his phone from his pocket, and with a flurry of finger presses on the keypad, sent a text message.

Waited in the following silence, he watched with a slight smile as her arm moved.

 _Yep. Here we go._

His eyebrow rose when she tilted her head slightly, and from what he could tell, she was typing a reply back.

Sure enough, his heart skipped a beat when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 _'are u?'_

Thumb moving rapidly, he sent a reply.

 _'yeah'_

After a few moments, she checked her phone again. Then, to Ulrich's surprise, she peeked back, right at him.

He lifted his fingers in a friendly gesture, and she turned back around, but then, turned her head, and glanced back at him in the corner of her eye.

Discerning a pleasantly surprised smile on her face, he found himself in an excited huff.

 _Oh man. Class needs to end, like right now._

* * *

Emily sat quietly.

 _One more minute. And here I am, heart racing. This class is taking forever to end._

She set down her pencil, and made sure that the teacher wasn't looking at her, and then checked the inbox on her phone again.

 _'are u going to the dance'_

Hiding her phone again, she covered her mouth with her hand, smiling bashfully.

 _Yes. I'll go if you do, Ulrich. Especially if -_

Startled by the rattling of the school bell, she turned around, looking directly at the brunette boy as he quickly stood upright, jerking chair back a little ways.

Their eyes drifted apart teasingly as all of the students stood, obscuring the other as excited chatter of the dance resumed among the students. Waiting patiently as an eager crowd grew at the doorway, she gathered her school bag and slipped the strap over her shoulder, brushing a lock of hair aside as she pushed her chair in.

 _Alright. Ulrich Stern asking if I'm going to the dance can only mean one thing. Or several things. I don't know. But I'm about to find out, I guess._

Turning and stepping over towards him, she watched his arms cross as he casually eyed her, leaning back against the table.

 _There's that confidence he oozes._

"Ulrich."

"Emily."

Her cheeks produced a hint of an unexpected blush.

"Hey."

The boy then took a breath, and his hands came together.

"Obviously you got my message."

"I did."

"So... Are you gonna go to the dance?"

She moved her foot around in a circle.

"Maybe. I'm not doing anything else this evening, so I might."

Ulrich looked away for a moment, gathering courage. Then his eyebrow raised as he peeped back at her.

"Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

She quickly diverted her eyes in a blush.

"Are you... Asking me to it?"

"I am."

She regained eye contact, heart racing.

 _He's asking me. I mean its not a ball or something but..._

"...You're not going with someone else?"

Ulrich quietly laughed.

"I wouldn't be asking you if I was."

Emily's eyes lowered, and she eyed his hand as it sat motionless on the table.

 _In that case... You're seeking me out, so yes. Absolutely yes._

"I'll go. With you."

He nodded, and then moved his hand over and set it on hers.

"Glad to hear it."

Tingling with excitement and mirth, eying his hand resting gently on her knuckles, her eyes discreetly widened as she turned her hand over underneath, accepting his palm and allowing his fingers to curl around her own.

 _Yeah. So this just happened again. We kinda held hands a few weeks ago but... Oh wow. I keep forgetting how nice this is for something so simple._

Looking up at him, seeing him smiling with calm amusement from her expression, she exhaled, producing a nod, and then sharing a gaze of admiration.

 _Ulrich... I'm sure we both know how we feel right now. I don't know what's going to happen tonight at the dance, but I'm looking forward to it anyway. Even if we just dance together... And holds hands, and flirt a little..._

"Hey. Lets go get supper."

Blinking out of a momentary daydream, she nodded bashfully.

"Yes, I... Let me drop off my books first."

"Me too."

"Alright."

She pushed herself from the table with her free hand, moving alongside the brunette boy and waiting patiently as he leaned upright. Stirring with emotion, they left the classroom, walking hand-in-hand into the empty hallway.

 _Alright. Got Emily to be my dance date out the blue... Tonight might just be awesome. Hopefully._

* * *

Quiet, happy breaths left the pair's lungs as they walked side by side, approaching the steps to the cafeteria.

 _This is nice. Not that we're together or anything._

Looking up at Ulrich as he pulled open the door and stepped aside, Emily's cheeks reddened slightly as he gestured for her to step in first.

 _I mean... I don't know what tonight has in store but he's being friendly again, and if he asked me to be his date tonight..._

Lifting a tray from the stack and setting it onto the shelf, they quickly moved along the counter, receiving several helpings of the day's supper.

 _I'm going to just let things happen as they do._

Sitting down at a different table than normal, trays clattering onto the surface, both teens scooted in their chairs and began eating.

"So, Emily."

Patiently turning towards him, her eyebrow cautiously rose.

"Yes?"

"What would you have done this evening if I didn't ask you earlier?"

Her eyes lowered to his tray, searching the food on it for an answer.

"Probably would have stayed in my room. Maybe study or something."

Ulrich then stuck a forkful of food in his mouth, and chewed for a moment.

"Are dances your thing?"

"Sorta. I went alone last year. Wasn't really planning on it this year."

"You're okay with going though, right?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I didn't know that you'd ask me, of all the people here."

He simply shrugged.

"Hey. I'd only go with someone that I enjoy being around."

 _And I like you. And I'm pretty sure you said yes because you like me too._

Her head tilted away from his statement, skin tingling.

"Yeah. That's why I agreed to go, honestly."

Eyes met, and both teen's hearts beat from the innocent admittance.

 _Guess we both feel the same way about this._

* * *

Wandering outside, mouths opened from the large crowd gathered in the campus courtyard, discovering a wide variety of students from two other schools visiting for the dance.

"Wow."

"Gonna be a tight fit in the gym... Sure hope they're ready by now."

Slipping into the crowd, heading towards the dormitories nearby, both teens suddenly stumbled upon both Odd and Aelita.

"Ulrich?"

"Hey Odd, Aelita."

The red haired girl blinked as Ulrich and Emily paused next to them, and Odd assessed his friend for a moment.

"Where were you?"

"In the cafeteria, eating. Where else?"

Odd looked at Emily for a moment, and then at Aelita, and then back to Ulrich

"Going to the dance?"

"Yup."

"Good."

"You two going to the dorms soon?"

"About to. They gym's been finished for a while. Aelita was helping them test the board and speakers."

"Nice. We're heading to our rooms right now."

"We'll catch up with you both in a couple minutes then."

Exchanging several nods, Ulrich continued onward with Emily close behind, and a smile slowly lifted the corner of Odd's mouth as he watched them disappear.

"About time he went for it."

"With Emily?"

"Yeah. They've been crushing pretty hard on each other."

"Are they going out?"

"I'll have to ask him. He probably just asked her to be his date tonight."

Seeing Odd's visible approval, Aelita crossed her arms, picturing both brunette teens walking around inseparably.

"That sounds exciting."

"Probably is."

"You think they'll have fun?"

"They'd better!"

"I'm sure they will. If not dancing... Maybe some other things."

"Right? I'm sure those two won't the only people making moves this evening."

* * *

Ulrich poked through his dresser, looking for something different than his usual green attire.

 _No long sleeves... Been pretty warm lately. Shorts? Nah._

Closing a drawer, his eyebrows furrowed, attempting to remember the various items of clothing hidden within the drawers.

 _Ugh. This is harder than it should be._

Suddenly, the door to the room swung open, and Odd ducked inside, looking behind himself for a moment before shutting the door.

"Hey Ulrich."

"Odd."

"Did you ask Emily out?"

"To the dance."

"You should ask her to be your lady friend too."

"Been thinking about that for a little while now."

"Distracted by Yumi in the meantime?"

"Hardly. I'm about done with that endless chase."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Emily's been single all this time and I know she likes me... I feel like she's been patiently waiting. Or something."

"She probably has. And if she said yes to the dance earlier, I bet she'll say it again."

"We'll see."

"Hope so."

"Why are you so interested in this anyway?"

"Cause a great thing might be staring you in the face, good buddy."

"Maybe."

"And besides... Girlfriends are pretty good at chasing the grumps away."

Turning to Odd, he wrinkled his nose as his blonde friend winked at him, pulling open the bedroom door in a pair of striped shorts and a dark T shirt.

"Seeya."

"Later."

Watching the door shut, contemplating Odd's departure from his normal attire, Ulrich began rummaging around in several drawers, grunting with approval as he found a black pair of pants.

 _Yeah. I'm sure I'd probably be a bit happier. Seeing as I've never actually dated anyone. But unlike you, in the event I ask her out... I'm going to do it right and not cause a huge ruckus doing so._

* * *

Emily quietly stepped out of her room, sporting a longer, loose-fitting maroon shirt, a tighter pair of blue jeans, and wavy, curled hair. Making her way to the bathroom down the hall, her arm rose and pushed the door open, and she peeked inside, mildly surprised by the emptiness inside.

 _Either I'm late, or early._

Stepping inside, her head turned to Aelita sitting on the sink counter, carefully applying eyeliner.

 _Huh. If our DJ is in here still... Must be early._

Continuing inside, she cautiously stepped to the sink beside Aelita, and started looking herself over in the mirror. Moving a tuft of hair aside from her forehead with her finger, she then stared at the glasses resting on her nose.

 _I wonder if contacts are worth the trouble. Not that these are bothersome... I don't know._

Peeking towards Aelita's reflection in the mirror, she blinked, realizing the red-haired girl was already looking at her.

"I really like your curls."

Emily blinked, and then smiled in a slight blush.

"Thank you."

"Did Ulrich ask you...?"

Her blush increased, and she looked away, trying to retain her composure.

"To dance, yes."

"Well you look pretty cute. He's probably going to be impressed."

"That's the hope."

Listening to the cap snap onto the bottle of eyeliner, she watched as Aelita slipped down off the counter, washing her hands, and then walking past just behind.

 _And meanwhile, miss DJ is rocking a short black blouse and an equally short blue skirt. Dressed to impress Della Robbia, and any other wandering eyes._

Her head turned as two other girls walked into the bathroom, bringing a conversation into the otherwise quiet area. Watching Aelita slip out of the already open door, she distractedly eyed herself in the mirror again, only to have her phone buzz.

Plucking the device from her jean pocket, she tingled with excitement and elation from the message.

 _My date's ready. And I guess I am too. Just a few last minute little things... Hang in there, Ulrich. I'll see you soon._


	2. Chapter 2

Both Odd and Ulrich stood near their the dormitory stairwell, leaning casually against the wall in patient waiting.

"...I still think you should ask her after the dance."

"You make it sound so easy, Odd. I don't even know if that would be the right time to."

"That's the point, dude. It should be easy. She's probably been daydreaming about those words for a while now."

"Yeah, sure. How would you know that? We both know girls are the most confusing things in the universe."

"That's true. But the signs are all there. She's into you, and you're into her. Just go for it."

Ulrich furrowed his eyebrows at his friend, but then raised them when Aelita rounded the corner, stepping up next to them with a glowing smile.

"Hey boys."

Blinking from her oddly enticing purr, he watched as Odd and Aelita both admired each other up and down, faces breaking into equal grins as they collided together in an excited hug.

"Ready to DJ?"

"I am."

"Awesome. I'm ready to boogie to your mixes."

"Oh you will. I've got several new songs ready to go. Nobody's going to stand still while I'm on stage."

Drawing apart from their embrace, hands held, Odd then looked over at Ulrich.

"I'll see you in the gym... Or wherever. You know where we'll be."

He nodded, and the couple walked away, leaving him alone for just a moment.

 _Right. Aelita sure likes skirts... And that shirt. Bare shoulders. Odd's probably drooling over his girlfriend right now._

 _Whatever. He's got his lady, and in the meantime..._

"...Ulrich?"

Blinking from the soft voice, his head turned to Emily, and his heart fluttered as he pushed himself upright from the wall.

"Hey!"

Watching her walk up to him, his mouth opened slightly, temporarily lacking in words.

 _Oh, wow. So you went from cute girl with glasses to... Yeah. Suddenly you're hot. And pretty. Both. Pretty hot. And I probably look like a goofball..._

Bashful smiles lifted their lips as minds went in a million directions, and Emily's lips pressed together, hands tightening inside her pants pockets.

 _Yoouuu should wear those pants more often, Ulrich. And you combed your hair. I've never seen you like this, and right now you're really handsome, and I think I might just melt if you keep gazing at me like that..._

"Did I surprise you?"

"You certainly did."

She then surrounded him in a hug, and his arms quickly curled around her sides in response, excited breaths leaving their noses as they pressed together, remaining teasingly close for a fleeting moment.

 _Full of surprises..._

Stepping back, their hands drew along their bare arms, fingers spreading along their wrists, and then gently grasping each other.

"Ready to dance?"

"Only if you are."

"Let's get to it then."

Turning to the stairwell and beginning down the steps, eyes widened from a crush of other students heading inside to change.

 _We must have been early. Guess everyone else was caught up meeting the visitors..._

Brushing past several dozen students against the handrail, the pair found their way to the bottom of the stairwell, encountering Jeremy and Natalia at the bottom, talking to Odd and Aelita.

"Oh hey Ulrich."

"Hello."

"Stern."

"Belpois. You going to the dance?"

"She's making me." Jeremy joked, just before being hugged tightly from behind by Natalia.

"This boy's never boogied before."

"I think you'll come to like it, Einsteinium."

"You haven't been to any of the past dances, have you?"

"Sure haven't."

"What's different this time?"

"Peer pressure."

"Oh man. Pressured into having fun. Sounds painful."

Rolling his eyes comically, the others laughed in response, and Jeremy then looked back and forth at Ulrich and Emily.

"Obviously you two are going, by the looks of it."

"Yes sir."

"Guess we'd better go get ready, huh? DJ Aelita and company are all dressed to party."

"You guys probably still have plenty of time."

Just then, William walked up to the group, met with six different passive expressions, his eyebrow rising towards Aelita.

"Hey, DJ badass, we need you to come to the gym and get ready to start the show. Christophe has the board tuned up and ready to go."

Hey eyes lit up in excitement from the update.

" _Yay!_ I'll be right there."

Turning aside, she quickly surrounded Odd in a hug, exhaling happily and twisting side to side as he tightened their embrace.

"I'll be looking for you out there." She whispered.

"I won't be far. You have fun, princess."

Splitting apart, she sauntered past William, leaving him behind as she burst through the nearby doorway, and for a moment, the group silently watched him follow, exiting the building in her dust.

"That was kinda funny."

"Agreed."

"We're heading upstairs. See you guys whenever."

"Alright."

"Later."

Watching Jeremy and Natalia ascend the steps, Odd was then nudged by Ulrich.

"Lets go."

Migrating towards the twin doors and shoving them open, the three of them peeked outside of the dormitories, blinking from the mass of voices and movement.

"Talk about a crowd."

"Yeah. Seems like it gets bigger every year."

Meandering towards the gymnasium, which already had a sizable gathering at the entrance, the trio took a place among the blob of people, heads turning with interest and excitement brewing inside.

 _Yep. Feeling pretty good about having Miss LeDuc by my side right now. I think I could get used to this._

Watching discreetly as her free hand brushed carefully through her hair, he exhaled contently, looking aside to Odd as his attention wandered around distractedly.

"You excited?"

The blonde blinked, and then nodded.

"Totally."

"Are you worried about her?"

Shaking his head no, his hands slipped into his pockets.

"Not at all. She knows what she's doing."

"Not much of a competition when DJ Aelita shows up, huh?"

His face cracked into a smile from the thought.

"Hey. She doesn't care about winning. Its all about the music and having a good show."

* * *

Aelita took in a deep breath, and stepped out onto the dark stage, headphones around her neck. Strobing beams of colored light illuminated random spots of the gymnasium's interior, and a pent up crowd waited outside both sets of doorways, bumping against them impatiently.

Plugging her headphones into the auxiliary port, her eyes pored over the backlit controls of the academy's newer mixing board. She then loaded both of her two CDs into the turntables, and a rush of familiar motions and patterns quickly flooded her mind with information as her hands moved around, twisting and sliding control knobs, and cycling through songs displaying on the small screens with each twist of the large dials.

 _One more time to be sure... Any song will do. Like this one._

Slipping the headphones onto her ears, she looked up at the door anxiously, tingling with excitement and anticipation. Then her shoulder was tapped, and she looked over to see Christophe M'Bala, holding up a lone finger.

 _One minute. Must be right around eight o'clock._

She nodded, and the boy turned and walked from the stage.

With a held breath, she pressed one of the play/pause buttons, and the familiar beginning melody from a random song rushed into her ears.

 _Okay. Ready to roll. Switching output to speakers... Now._

With the click of a switch, she slipped the headphones back off, heart racing as her own music began blasting outward from the massive speakers surrounding the stage, which was taken as a cue by the two distant students to unlock the doors. The resulting slams of metal were drowned out by a roar of commotion as a mob of teens flooded inside, spreading out into the gym and and growing as more and more students, from Kadic and two other schools, continued to press inside.

Mouth opening, she watched the mayhem of bodies pressing into the room with distracted fascination.

 _Alrighty. Volume up, equalizer on electronic preset, song four on disk one cued and already playing... Enabling shuffle for variety._

Quickly slipping the headphones back on, a bass-filled beat began to mingle with an electronic melody, and within seconds, her hands were already in motion as the song thundered through the air. Making sure everything was running smoothly, she slipped the headphones down around her neck, vision rising and looking over the whole of the crowd in the gymnasium, feeling the hum of the bass from the massive speakers throughout her skin and the rhythm of the electronic song swirling in her ears, spreading a smile across her face.

 _Looks like we're in business._

Her red hair shook back and forth as she bobbed her head to the music, and after a moment, she shook her head around, letting her bangs settle messily in front of her eyes, tickling the bridge of her nose. Brushed the tufts aside with her fingers, she looked down at the crowd again, lit up by the flashing, moving spectrum of colors from the lights up on the stage.

 _Haven't seen any familiar faces yet. Probably hundreds of people inside this place right now. I'm sure they see me but I don't see them._

Vision lowering to the turntables, and with seconds left on the current song, her fingers dragged two sliding knobs in opposite directions, executing a slow crossfade as a new song began, beginning a new round of constant adjustment as a completely different melody, beat, and female vocals filled the air.

Her hand brought her headphones back to her ears, and after some subtle adjustment, she watched the blinking lights on the board.

 _Oh well. Right now I'm just controlling the chaos._

Her eyes darted back and forth from the board and the audience, and each time, she noticed more and more eyes on her, causing her to blush with a smile.

 _...And holding a lot of people's attentions._

The headphones slid back down onto her shoulders, and her body stayed in motion with the beat as her eyes kept a keen eye on the screens, but then, a particularly loud whistle pierced through the music and noise, and her head rose as her eyes searched for where it came from.

Her heart fluttered, and her eyes widened as they finally fell upon a familiar blonde waving his arm at her.

 _There you are! Silly. Better be having a blast out there._

Watching his hand curl into a raised thumbs-up above his eager grin below, she blushed in delight.

 _Looks like that's a yes. In that case..._

Touching her palm to her lips, she blew a kiss towards him, which resulted in a slight uproar from the crowd around him, and Della Robbia being the proudest boy in the whole gymnasium right then as he caught her invisible kiss.

* * *

 _Hah. Wow. That was amazing._

Grinning like a fool, cheeks full of pride and mirth, Odd gazed at the red-haired DJ, hands busy with her musical passion.

 _Yeah. You're happy as can be, and I love it. And I love you. Obviously. Everyone's having a great time, and your music is exploding my brain and it feels fantastic._

Looking around, noticing several other teens glancing towards him with various expressions of envy and interest, he smiled cheekily, stepping back into motion.

 _Why yes, everyone, that lovely lady up there is my girlfriend._

Peering up above the crowd in front of him as he danced, listening to another song change, he watched as Aelita, wearing the headphones again, caught sight of him and flashed a smile.

 _Man I can't wait to dance with you. Right now you're hot as all hell, and you're already stealing the show that just started... Tonight is going to be awesome. Can already tell._

* * *

 _(Cool real life author story, for a time I had an internship with an underground EDM radio station as a camera guy filming the DJs that would come in and play over the internet. Kinda familiar with mixing boards, and definitely love the music!)_


	3. Chapter 3

Ulrich grinned, having Emily pressed up against him, holding hands and swaying side to side. Palms were sweaty, hearts raced, and energy was boundless as the couple danced, hidden within the huge crowd in the gymnasium.

 _Maybe I should've worn shorts. Oh well. She's got these tight jeans on so I'm sure we're both feeling hot. Probably look hot too... For not being a regular dancer, she sure loves to move. Maybe she's just never had a guy to dance with._

Seeing her head turn, curled hair tossing aside, his vision rose from the hint of a smile on her lips, up to the light reflecting off the frame of her glasses.

 _Regardless, she's full of surprises. And I keep finding them and its kinda doing funny things to my insides right now._

Resting his chin upon her shoulder, she leaned her head against his, causing them to stop moving.

"Having fun?" He whispered.

She simply nodded, and he touched his chin against her neck, causing Emily to shut her eyes, turned on from him being so close.

 _God damn you're hot._

After a moment, she turned around to face him, and Ulrich's content smile slowly faded as they watched each other, fingers intersecting, and thoughts going every which way.

Emily then looked down for a moment, and lifted her head back up slightly, closer than before as she looked through her dark hair at him.

 _Sooo, you should maybe -_

Already interpreting her motions, heart racing, Ulrich gently leaned his head forward, and after a moment of wide eyes and bashful, hesitant laughs, their lips touched in a cautious kiss.

 _...Do that. Ohhh wow._

Their arms curled around each others sides, and for a few moments, minds were at ease, among the hundreds of moving people, and the upbeat electronic music Aelita was playing.

 _Yeah. This just happened._

* * *

 _Alright. Maybe I have missed out on this experience in the past._

Having never been to a dance before, and having never danced with anybody, Jeremy found himself being taught him the finer details of modern dancing by Natalia. Bursting with energy and the shameless freedom to dance crazily, he repeatedly ended up in the middle of a groups of other teens trying to mimic the moves he was doing, before being recaptured by the the brunette girl.

Several separations later, she kept a tight grip on his hands in an attempt to keep him from slipping away again. The previous times were funny, yes, but she wanted to him to stay with her now.

After a few moments, Jeremy realized she was steadily slowing down their dancing, only to turn around and smother the boy in a tight hug, touching her nose to his neck as they both slowly twisted back and forth to the music.

"Something wrong?" Jeremy spoke up, slightly confused.

She laughed quietly.

"Not at all you goofball. You just keep getting away whenever I steal you back."

"Well I, I'm just... Sorry."

She then rubbed his hair for a moment, and then drew from the hug, turned around again, and scooted her behind up against him.

"Don't be sorry. Seeing everyone trying to dance like you is pretty funny, actually."

"Oh. But..."

"Just dance with me, boy."

He quickly grasped her open hands, and within moments, they joined right back into the fast pace of the dance.

 _Right. Nothing wrong. She just wants me to herself. As if I'd dance with anyone else anyway..._

* * *

A breath parted Aelita's lips, very much focused on the final song in her hour-long slot of DJing. Eyes flitting between the small digital clock on the stage and the lights blinking on the mixing board, her hands kept busy with constant adjustment, heart beating and lungs drawing in humid breath.

Looking aside, a shadowy figure appeared next to her, revealed by the flashes of light to be another DJ she faintly recognized from the year before. Tapping the eject button on the left-hand disc drive, thumbs ups were exchanged as the fellow teen dropped his own mix CD into it, loading it into the mixing board.

 _Alright, you. Have less than a minute left on this one and then you can take over._

Holding her breath tightly, her lips pressed together, listening to the song intently as it progressed into its triumphant finale, fitting for the end of her reign over the dance as it began a slow fade in volume.

"You're up!"

Stepping aside, she listened as an unfamiliar song faded in beneath hers as the teen quickly adjusted to the mixing board, and Aelita pulled the headphones from her head, offering them to the individual, who accepted them after several quick twists and button presses.

Ejecting the second of her two mix CDs, she pressed it into an open plastic case nearby, snapping it shut, and then looking out into the crowd beyond as another hour of electronic music began, filling the air with bass-riddled melodies and vocals.

 _Okay. That was one solid hour. Now its my turn to shake my ass... I need to go find boyfriend in this mess._

Turning aside, skirt spinning and face blossoming into a grin, she stepped over a cluster of cables from the board and continued to the side of the stage, looking at Christophe as she handed him both of the CDs.

"Tight... You were killing it out there, 'Lita."

"Yeah. I think my mix went alright."

"Alright? It was awesome! Especially since you only do it with software... How do you it?"

She blushed.

"Its a secret."

"Well keep it up. You're awesome at it."

Continuing past, she pranced freely along the stage, sinking down onto a small stairwell leading to the crowd below, and her mouth opened with an inhale, discovering Odd already waiting patiently, leaning against the wall.

A grin split his face as she swooped down with a series of giggles, and they collided together into a fierce hug, spinning around with light laughter, and then settling against the same wall again.

"You have fun up there?"

"Oh heck yes. Every song sounds much better with some real oomph behind it."

"I'll say. You were making this place bounce, babe."

Twisting in their embrace, faces glowed with mirth as they happily gazed at each other.

"How do you think I did?"

"Amazing. Fantastic. Probably lots of other words... You blew my mind into another dimension."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely. Every song was awesome."

"Well that's what I strive for."

"And that's what you achieve. Awesomeness in mp3 format."

Bursting into another giggle, she then took in a deep breath, and both of their heads lifted slightly as a much calmer, slower song started playing, filling the air with a sense of relaxation as a soft melody mingled with a muffled drum beat.

 _Mmmm. Here we go._

Eyes meeting from similar thoughts, mouths curled into smiles, and a flicker of arousal caused heads to tilt with interest.

"Hey."

Eyebrow rising from his simple whisper, she waited patiently for him to continue.

"You look wonderful tonight, you know."

 _So do you, boyfriend. But keep talking._

"You think so?"

"I mean, you always do, every day... Seeing you up there, totally into your musical passion, so beautiful and hot as hell... It really makes me really proud to be by your side."

Absorbing his endless praise, her eyes closed, heart beating with pride and emotion.

"You don't know how happy it makes me... Knowing you're so supportive of everything I do. This is what I've needed in my life."

"You deserve it. And you're what I need in my life."

"Good thing I'm already part of it."

"Tell me about it"

Cheeks glowing, their eyelids lowered, and noses softly brushed past each other, allowing a spare moment for eyes to close.

 _Finally._

Lips pressed together, and arms curled tighter around their bodies as they began making out, fiery energy coursing through their skin.

 _Hope you're ready, boyfriend. This night's just beginning._

* * *

Ulrich's heart raced, eying Emily's glasses as they danced together, much slower than before.

Alright. I can't even act surprised that we kissed earlier. It was so easy. She's so pretty and her lips are so soft... And I'm pretty sure I just ruined one of my personal boundaries I set long ago. Yumi was going to be my first kiss. Almost was once. But I just bent that one right out of shape, didn't I?

Eyebrows furrowing, a breath left his nose.

 _God, whatever. That was a middle school dream. But now we're in high school, and I'm tired of having women squabbling over me without actually making any moves. I like Emily, she likes me. We kissed, and it was amazing, and it made perfect sense for once._

He smiled, feeling bold, and slightly endangered. Then, his hand was squeezed momentarily by Emily, and he watched as she eyed him innocently, her face lit up softly by the flashing, strobing color lights.

 _Yeah. We've always liked each other. Everything about this makes sense. I'm not going to regret a single minute of this dance._

Gently twisted back and forth together, and Emily sighed, loving the tight, secure feeling from having Ulrich's arms around herself. Taking in a breath through her curly hair, his nose almost touching her neck, she shut her eyes.

 _Wow. To think I was going to stay in my room tonight... Sure would have missed out._

Hearing a gentle lull in the music, he lifted his head, and her eyes opened again.

"Wanna rest somewhere for a little while?"

"Yeah."

"There's a spot up ahead. A little set of steps."

Turning, hands held, they brushed past several people and sat down on the dim steps, facing the crowd beyond. Leaning up against the wall beside her, Emily's mind changed, and she leaned against Ulrich instead.

 _Much better._

A small laugh and giggle escaped both of them, and then hearts pounded in the following silence as music continued to blast throughout the gym, and humid breath passed in and out of their lungs.

Ulrich felt her head turn, and he looked at her, watching lights reflect upon her glasses, and then meeting her eyes just behind, drawn into a calm gaze.

 _Yep. You're amazing._

Seeing her mouth open, and feeling sweaty fingers tighten together, he tingled with interest.

 _You're already close enough. Go for it._

Matching his lean, her hand reached up and caressed his cheek, and with a closing flutter of eyelids, their lips pressed together again.

 _Two for two. Alrighty._

Her hand then drifted along his skin, settling behind his neck and keeping him from escaping too soon.

 _Heh. Show me how you really feel... I'm not going anywhere. Not if you're going to keep kissing me like this._

* * *

Aelita eyed everybody around her in wonderment as she gently stepped back and forth, brushing back against Odd, hands comfortably held together.

 _Now I've played for several years... But never really danced until recently. Didn't really have anyone to dance with until Odd came along._

Touching her head against his, they traded smiles for a moment as he moved his head over from her shoulder, up against her neck.

Suddenly, the music changed, and the calm trance atmosphere had just been thrown out the window in favor of a brutal dubstep tune.

Aelita's eyes widened from the sudden buzz of bass, and Odd grinned from her burst of excitement as the strobing light pattern changed, and the dance kicked into high gear.

Odds hands slid up to her wrists, and after eyeing some of the people around them, Aelita peeked back at him.

"It's just like this!" He spoke, keeping her rear tight against himself, and then moving their waists left and right, repeatedly.

After a few motions, and a blush, she quickly got the hang of it, and Odd regained hold of her hands, squeezing them against her sides as they kept in motion.

Head turning left and right, met with loads of mirth, laughter, and various screams and hollering voices, a bountiful smile spread across her face as she shook her body side to side, full of boundless energy as Odd tried to keep up behind her.

 _Everybody's having fun and its amazing... So much motion and life in one place, and I'm loving every second of this mayhem. Plus boyfriend's here, and we're both hot and horny and ohhh man are we gonna have a good time tonight._

Leaning her head back and peeking over her shoulder, she received a touch of a kiss on her cheek, turning her face red instantly afterward.

 _Teehee. You always surprise me with those..._

She squeezed his knuckles, hands sweaty from being held together, and then exhaled.

"...Do you know the time?"

"Nope." He grinned.

Her mouth opened, but then shut again, a smile creeping back onto her face.

"...Silly question I guess."

"Nooo its not... We've got plenty of time left, if that's what you're wondering."

She slowly nodded in approval, only to blush as Odd caressed her thumbs with his own, just as another song began to blast through the speakers ahead.

Yeah. What does it matter. We're all going to be here for a while... Who cares about the time?

* * *

"...Everything's in order, sir. No crazy behavior, at least, outside of the dance."

Jean-Pierre Delmas slowly looked up at Jim Morales, who stood at attention in front of the principle's desk, dressed slightly classier than usual.

"Excellent. Keep up the good work then."

He watched as Jim saluted him, turned on his heel, and walked out of the office, and then reclined back in his chair.

For a moment, he sat quietly, listening to the low echo of music coming through his window, echoing from the gymnasium nearby, and then ran his pen through the bristles of his beard a few times, pondering.

 _We've hosted these... What did Elizabeth call it, raving DJ dance competitions... Right. This academy has hosted several district-wide DJ dances the past few years, and yet I've never personally seen what actually goes on during any of them._

After entertaining the idea, Mr. Delmas stood to his feet, pulled out his cell phone, and quickly dialed Jim's number.

"Sir?"

"Uhh, Jim, come back to the office. I want to see what this dance is like."

* * *

Odd gripped Aelita's hands when she raised both of their arms into the air, grinning from the chime of her laughter as she swayed side to side with him, taking in the sweet sound of her mirth as a number of the people crowded around them raised their arms up high as well.

Taking in a great breath from the reaction, she burst into a blushing giggle and twirled around, wrapping her arms around Odd's sides as she squeezed him into a tight embrace, murmuring as he returned the favor.

"Having a blast?"

Twisting side-to-side with a nod, they watching each other patiently, quietly, and innocently.

The blonde then lowered his eyebrows.

"...Love you."

She shut her eyes with a heartwarming smile, and peeked at him with a raised eyebrow, playfully rocking their arms left and right.

"I dooo love you too."

They both shared another blush, and then, in the background, the music faded into silence, bringing the attentions of many to stage ahead. Suddenly, there was an enormous cheer as a familiar Subsonics song started blasting from the speakers, and the noise level rose very high, very quickly, startling Aelita as she eyed her surroundings, and then Odd, to make sure that nothing was going horribly wrong.

Offering her a simple smile, watching an uneasy breath release from her lungs, he shrugged, secretly worried.

 _I know, Princess. Been strangely quiet since we took out the scyphozoa... Haven't been to the factory in weeks._

Aelita then stretched her arms and turned around, smiling as the boy's arms wrapped securely around her waist.

 _Oh well. Nothing's gonna happen tonight. Not like that time in eighth grade, and not on a night as amazing as this. Xana's war can wait for another evening._


	4. Chapter 4

Leaning against the little wall on the side of the stairwell, with Emily tucked close beside him, Ulrich's mind wandered through a variety of mixed emotions.

 _I think I know how Odd felt a couple months ago with Aelita... Starting something new and crazy and exciting under the dark of night, and having no idea how people are going to feel about it... And not caring anyway._

Leaning over, he tucked his nose against her neck, taking in a gentle inhale of the sweet scent hidden within her curls of hair.

Blushing from the ticklish sensation, her shoulder rose, causing Ulrich to lift his head, and look over towards the center of the stage at the current DJ for a moment.

 _Don't have any idea what time it is, or how much time is left... But I'm kinda feeling like getting out of here with her. Escaping to some place where there aren't a bunch of people wondering why we're just sitting here, hearts racing like mad._

 _Escape._

 _Time to escape, and beat the crowd to some place..._

Ulrich huffed, and then lifted her forearm.

"Let's go."

A bit confused, Emily stood up with him, and for a moment, held fast as he attempted to lead her away.

"Go where?"

His hand slid down past her wrist, and latched into her hand as he looked her in the eye.

"Someplace where we can have our own final dance."

She mulled over the words in her mind, and then quickly stepped up by his side, a little unsure what to expect, but definitely relieved to be leaving the public's eye. Keeping with him as he wound their way around the dark mob of students, they slipped out of one of the open doorways, coming back out to the familiar grounds of the Academy.

Drawing to a moment's pause, a cool breeze swirled through the night air, and both teens inhaled with relief from the literal humidity inside the gymnasium. After a moment, Ulrich casually surveying the nearby courtyard, but among the groups gathered around the occasional bench, nobody looked familiar.

 _Perfect_.

Stepping aside into the dark shadows of the surrounding trees, he led her along, knowing exactly where he was going, and Emily not having any clue where they were heading.

A couple of seconds later, she tugged back on his arm.

"...Where are you taking me?"

He drew to a halt and exhaled, only then to smile, collecting her other hand.

"Right here."

She eyed her surroundings in response, finding herself in a cozy little clearing, the lights from the academy's buildings still visible between the trees.

 _Ohh..._

"Would you care to join me for a final dance?" Ulrich asked, drawing one of his hands from her grasp, and running it behind her back.

She blushed unexpectedly, and after a cool, deep breath, drew their still-held hands out with a smile, and proceeded to slowly, comfortably dance with him.

After a few minutes of prancing around in the dark grass, under the watchful eye of the moon above, they paused, listening as some romantic song echoed from the gymnasium nearby.

 _Guess my timing was just right... Has it really been three hours already?_

A few resumed steps later, Ulrich eyed Emily, noticing that she was quietly easing closer and closer to him, and relaxed their arms.

"If you didn't go with me, this evening, would you have regretted it?"

Her eyebrows lowered with interest, and her arm rose up to the back of his neck.

"Yes, because I wouldn't be able to do this."

She leaned in and brought him into a third kiss, causing them both to draw to a halt, preserving the tender moment.

 _Yeah. You're right._

* * *

Mr. Delmas poked around the back of the stage, Jim by his side, and after a momentary word with Christophe M'Bala, the principal peeked just around the corner, to see just how rowdy this dance really was.

His eyes fell upon the dark mass of students, slowly strutting around in pairs to the tune of a gentle, romantic song, and for a few moments, he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

Ducking his head back in, he eyed Jim curiously.

"Are you sure they were dancing as crazy as you described? They're doing it just like we did back in my day."

The principal then grunted from Jim's perplexed expression, and slowly walked towards the backstage exit.

"Sir, I swear it was different before you arrived. Everything was different. Loud, suggestive, you name it!"

Mr. Delmas simply waved off his protesting as they walked back towards his office.

"All these students are just enjoying themselves... Frankly, you should be too, Mr. Morales."

Jim paused at the entrance to the building, and loosened his necktie for a moment.

"Sir... The dance is ending in minutes."

"Go on back and keep watch then. I'll be in my office."

"Yes, sir."

Jim turned impatiently on his heel, and strutted back to the gymnasium.

 _Hmph. Not getting duped again by all you teenagers... I know what you were all doing earlier._

* * *

Odd watched as Aelita went from holding his arm out and standing next to him, to holding his hands while hugging him from behind.

Her eyes were still wide open and excited, but she was slowly starting to run out of steam.

With the romantic melody in the background slowly drawing to a conclusion, Odd brought his face up next to hers.

"Piggyback?"

Her face lit up for a moment.

"You sure?"

In response, he knelt down, and after a brief glance around, Aelita settled her arms onto his shoulders, and her legs into his hands below.

She was then lifted up into the air, and her face blossomed into a blushing grin as a hundred or so pairs of eyes looked up to her, a few feet higher than everybody else. Holding her hands together in front of his neck, the girl looked out across the whole of the gymnasium, squinting as one of the beams of light shined right across her face.

Suddenly, the music ended, and the gymnasium was held in a low lull of ambiance. A second or two ticked past, and after looking around again, Aelita raised one of her arms, her hand closed in a fist, into the air. Giving a little cheer into the still, steamy air, the whole of the dance population suddenly exploded into an excited roar, many raising their arms high like Aelita, who had a delighted grin spread across her face from the burst of enthusiasm that she had spearheaded.

 _DJ Aelita... Your lovely EDM cheerleader!_

Watching as the strobing lights shut off one by one, individual interior lights came on overhead, revealing a dimly lit mass of students and causing an automatic migration towards the doors behind as a cloud of chatter began, drowning out individual voices. Still perched upon Odd's shoulders, Aelita held her arms out one at a time, letting people give her high fives left and right as they meandered through the crush of sweaty, weary, and high spirited teenagers trying to push their way to the grounds outside.

Keeping a firm hold of her legs, Odd simply grinned, enjoying the attention she was lapping up.

 _She deserves every bit of this goodness._

Squeezing outside, a wave-like reaction began as the crowd sighed in relief from the crisp, cool air of the night, spreading out across the concrete and grass of the courtyard.

Seeing Jim standing just outside of the gymnasium, Aelita smiled, and held out her hand.

"Jimbo!"

Blinking, hearing his nickname called out, he spotting the red haired girl perched atop Odd, keeping her arm outstretched towards him. His expression lightened, and he too held out his hand, watching as she gave him a quick high five, before meandering away among the herd of other students.

With a mild huff, he straightened his back, chin rising with a hint of a smile from Aelita's random act of kindness, since he and his commands were otherwise being completely ignored by the rest of the student body.

 _At least one of you acknowledges my presence..._

* * *

Jeremy eyed his surroundings - Natalia's arms and body - observantly.

"...I'm just the best thing to cuddle, aren't I?"

"Yep." She whispered, watching lazily as people walked past, keeping an eye out for any of their friends.

 _Haven't seen anybody since we all met up for a moment at that entry way earlier... Been probably four hours._

Suddenly, she spotted Aelita, and then, Odd below her.

"Aelita!" She shouted, in a voice much louder than Jeremy expected, who jumped, startled.

Odd drew to a halt with her, and the girl's face lit up as she found the source of her called name, and pointed to them.

In just a few seconds, the four of them met up again, and Aelita watched as Odd, with a tightly held breath, crouched down, and let her step daintily off.

"Whats up?" Odd grunted, flexing his arms, and smiling as Aelita collected his hand.

"Looks like you two had fun... How was the DJing?"

Aelita grinned, and plopped her head onto her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Crazy fun, my mixes kept me busy... I think I did well, but Odd put it perfectly for me earlier." She sighed, eyeing him as he recollected what he had said several hours before.

His lips then came together in a smile.

"Amazing... Fantastic..."

He looked to her, and she breathed in a happy breath through her nose.

"And definitely the best of all of them. She had a blast dancing too."

"So did I." Jeremy smiled, earning him a squeeze from Natalia.

"Yes, Jerry here couldn't stop moving. Awesome stuff." She smiled.

"I told you it would be fun, Einstein."

"I had no idea what to expect."

"When you have Aelita as DJ, its hard to resist dancing."

"Definitely."

Out of nowhere, Sissi approached the four of them, but lacking her usual snide expression.

"Have any of you seen Ulrich?"

Odd held his tongue, but the others spoke up for him.

"Haven't seen him since before the dance."

She turned away, looking somewhat distressed, and then vanished.

A few pairs of eyes fell upon Odd, and he furrowed his eyebrows in response.

"Last time I saw him was just before they let everybody in. A few seconds of being distracted, and both he and Emily were gone, just like that..."

He snapped his fingers as an emphasis, and then watched as the same pairs of eyes widened in surprise.

"Emily?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure he asked her to it."

Jeremy and Natalia exchanged glances, and Aelita exhaled as Odd pushed his fingers up into her sweaty red hair, massaging her head for a moment.

"I think he finally made up his mind about her. He's been talking about her lately."

A moment of traded expressions and silence later, the blonde looked up at the dark sky above.

"Anyway, I dunno about you two, but I'm thinking about turning in for the night."

"Yeah, pretty tired too." Jeremy spoke.

Odd eyed Aelita, and she answered with a nod.

The fiery excitement in her eyes earlier, were now just embers.

"At least we all had fun, right?"

"Oh yeah."

"Mhmm."

Two quiet agreements gave Odd the cue to start walking, and he held Aelita close to his side as both couples stepped quietly towards the dormitories.

* * *

Coming across the closed door to his room, a red flag went up in Odd's mind.

 _I bet they're both in there. In that case..._

With a nod towards the stairwell further ahead, they both quietly continued onward, winding their way up the stairwell into the hallway above.

 _Guess it's gonna be another one of these nights. Not that either of us are going to complain._

Ducking into Aelita's room, the two of them kicked off their shoes, and held each other in a tight, cuddly embrace.

"You sure had fun, sweetheart... Blasting your music, and then dancing the night away... Super duper fun night for everyone."

She twisted side to side, eyeing him with admiration.

"I'm glad you had a great time too. Being DJ was fun, but... Not as fun as dancing with you."

"You sure?"

"Real sure. Prancing around and being pressed up against you... Yeah."

A grin crept across the blonde's face.

"You liked grinding on me."

"I did." She purred.

Hands rested on each others hips, exchanging small squeezes from ongoing eye play.

"You're just plain sexy tonight." He whispered.

Her hand rose to his neck, and her index finger drew a line down his chest.

"You too." She breathed.

He looked over towards her bed, and both of them shuffled towards it, only to tumble down onto the sheets in a flurry of giggles, messing around in the sheets and laughing as they playfully touched and tickled each other.

Then, after a minute, Aelita back beside the blonde, relaxing as his hands wandered into her hair again, gently massaging her head with his fingers.

She looked at him upside down, and a smile blossomed across her face, enjoying the repeated brushing of his fingers with a close of her eyes.

 _Woowww this feels great. Can I just lay here and absorb this membrane mesmerizing all night...?_

Producing a groan and shifting slightly, her eyes peeked open, noticing his expression of interest.

 _I bet you're loving this... Sexy thing. Let's keep the fun going._

Mouth curling into a mild smirk, she produced a kitten-like yawn, audibly exhaling.

"You should take my skirt off for me."

Odd blinked.

"I... should?"

"Yeahhh..." She drawled, and then grasped both of his hands, gently towing them down to her hips.

Odd's face quickly turned red, and he eyed her curiously.

 _Oh shit. Okay._

"Don't be shy..." She spoke with a delighted smile.

Odd, as daintily as he could, tucked his thumbs between the elastic of her skirt and her warm, smooth skin, and her legs lifted up, allowing him to slide the garment over her rear, and up along her legs.

Watching her hand reach down and grasp it, she pulled it free from her legs and cast it aside onto the floor, settling back down onto the bed.

Turning over against his body, and seeing Odd's surprised expression, she held her finger to her lips in a not-so-innocent smile.

 _There. I bet you loved every second of that._

She then touched her hands to his face, and brought him into a soothing kiss.

His hand found its way up behind her neck, and then, a moment later, they drew apart.

She rested her head down just below his chin, eyes gently closed as fatigue from the crazy night began to settle in on both of them.

"I love you."

"...Love you too, Princess."

* * *

Ulrich, content with the past few hours, reclined comfortably on his bed, Emily pressed against his side.

 _Yeah. Don't know what the future has planned but... This whole DJ dance event sure played out pretty awesomely._

With a turn of his head, he watched patiently as she matched his movement. Hints of smiles were exchanged, and he shifted his arm, shutting his eyes as her thumb slid back and forth across the top of his hand.

"...Are you sure I won't get caught down here?"

His eye peeked open.

"Emily... I'm gonna let you in on something. You know why Odd isn't in here by now, bothering us?"

Her eyes drooped lower.

"Why?"

"He's upstairs, sleeping with Aelita."

Her eyebrow quirking brought a slight laugh from his lungs.

"I don't know how they get away with it so often, but they do."


	5. Chapter 5

Yumi leaned against one of the benches in the courtyard, looking around casually as both Jeremy and Natalia sat together on it.

Somewhat leery of her presence, the pair kept straight faces and mingled with each other to distract themselves.

"So... Where is our DJ anyway?"

"Where else?"

Yumi blinked.

"In bed with Della Robbia?"

"Most likely."

"Right. Probably isn't even awake yet either."

Jeremy and Natalia traded glances.

"Yeah. Doubtful."

Yumi rolled her eyes.

"Taking after Odd, I see."

"She DJed, and then danced her tail off with him... She'll get out of bed whenever she feels like it."

Yumi turned around, holding herself up with her arms on the top panel of the bench.

"Did Ulrich go to the dance?"

Natalia's hand tightened around Jeremy's, and he eyed her, thinking quickly.

"He did, actually... Saw him for the first few moments going in, and then he disappeared for the rest of the night."

Jeremy smiled from Natalia's subtle nod, but Yumi quirked her eyebrow.

"I'm surprised."

* * *

Sissi stepped up the stairs in a huff.

 _Ulrich dear is either good at hiding, or he's disappeared off the face of the earth altogether._

She slowed her pace upon reaching the second floor, and wound her way through the bends at the end of the hallway.

Stepping around the corner, her feet ground instantly to a halt, and her mouth opened in disbelief.

Just down the hall, Ulrich was leaning against the wall, pressed against Emily in a kiss.

Throwing herself in reverse, she backed around the corner, staring at the floor in a brief pause as everything she imagined in the past few months, every fanciful daydream she had thought about, fell to the ground and shattered.

 _Okay. Alright._

Awkwardly stepping onto the stairwell, her head spun a whirl of loss and confusing information as she sank step-by-step down the stairs. Without a word or expression change, she pushed the doors open, and stepped out into the sickeningly calm morning.

 _Guess that's how things are, all of a sudden. Kissing miss LeDuc without a care in the world._

Finding a nearby bench, she quietly sat down, only to bury her face into her hands and weep silently in a cascade of disappointment and sadness.

 _This must have happened during the dance last night. I couldn't find him because he was romancing... Emily LeDuc._

 _Lovely._

* * *

Yumi blinked as the three of them watched Sissi from a distance.

"Is something going on I should know about?"

The following silence confirmed her suspicion, and Jeremy cringed when she looked right at him. In the same manner, Natalia turned around, receiving just the same look from Yumi as she quickly became annoyed.

"Did something happen last night?"

Jeremy sighed sadly, knowing exactly what was about to happen again.

"Yeah... But we don't know exactly what's going on."

Yumi's head sunk down for a moment.

"Of course I have to find out on my own... Thanks guys."

She pushed herself up, and walked out into the middle of the courtyard, pausing for a moment to scrutinize her surroundings, before continuing onward.

Jeremy and Natalia traded worried glances, unsure if they should stay put or leave the scene that was about to unfold that morning, but mere seconds later, Yumi watched, dumbfounded, as Ulrich walked out of the doorway nearby with Emily, their arms looped together with hands held between them.

His eyes fell upon her, and his smile instantly vanished as he stopped in his tracks, engaging in a literal staring contest with her.

From a distance, Sissi watched intently, secretly anticipating the drama that was about to take place.

The glares intensified, and after a moment, Ulrich separated himself from Emily.

"What."

Yumi's face twisted into a scowl, knowing he said that on purpose.

"You... You..."

She shook her head as she stepped forward.

"I'm not around for one night, and you go gallivanting off..."

Ulrich waved off her words, and stomped up in front of her.

"Stop acting like you own me, Yumi... I'm not your little pet dog William that always comes back to get your attention, cause he can't find anybody else to hang around with!"

She stood there, stung.

"If I remember correctly, a couple summers ago, you pulled a friend-zone deal on me too! You think I just forget these things?"

"I did _NOT!_ " She snapped.

"Ohhh yes you did. I waited patiently, and then I get rewarded with you chickening out... I guess its too bad for you that someone else was quietly waiting for me to move on."

As if to reinforce his statement, Emily stepped up beside him and recollected his hand, bravely glaring at her as well.

"We never were together, Yumi. Stop pretending like I'm cheating on you."

With an unwavering, stern face, he turned and walked away, holding Emily's hand securely as they walked along, leaving the scene.

Yumi's hand pressed into her forehead, initially with anger and frustration, but then, as seconds ticked past, it turned into a flood of loss and remorse.

Everything she intended to say had been rapidly shot down, and everything he had said bore angrily into her mind. He had proven her wrong, and as if to emphasize it, was in a relationship after one day.

 _Awesome. Took one day for Ulrich Stern to slip away. How is this even possible?_

* * *

Jeremy couldn't believe his ears.

 _Ulrich ended the debate instantly, and won!_

He looked at Natalia, but her head was sunk low, and her hand was held against her forehead to hide her eyes.

He stood to his feet, and tugged her up to his side, and both of them silently vacated the area.

A blanket of sadness had fallen over the academy again.

* * *

Ulrich sat at one of the tables tucked further into the cafeteria, his eyes shut, and his shoe tapping the floor.

Emily, next to him, kept her mouth covered by his shoulder, her hand softly rubbing his.

"I hate it when... You have to really wreck somebody in order for them to get the hint."

He turned his head, eyeing her for a moment.

"...And I'm sorry you got involved again. These things always seem to happen at the dumbest possible times."

She lifted her head, and set her chin upon his shoulder.

"Sometimes its best to finally know how the other person feels."

His eyes sunk.

"Yeah... But I was pretty harsh about it."

Emily then turned her head, and leaned against him sideways.

"The truth hurts."

"That's for sure."

* * *

Aelita stirred from a long slumber, and her eyes opened to a fuzzy blur.

She lifted her head from its place above Odd's shoulder, and as a result, the blonde's eyes opened, and a smile greeted her.

She blinked a few times, and her mouth split into a grin as she set her head back down, taking in a deep breath.

"What time is it?"

Odd's smile grew.

"You ready?"

"Maybe."

"11:37 a.m."

She groaned.

"Ungh. I'm starving."

Odd rubbed his eyes, and slowly sat up.

"Me too."

She pushed herself up with her arm, and both of them eyed the others appearance humorously.

"Bed hair." Odd remarked, reaching up to touch the mess of hair on his head.

Aelita then crossed her legs, and leaned back against the wall.

"We've been sleeping for... Almost twelve hours."

"I can't believe an early riser like you woke up after me." Odd blinked.

She ran her hand up through her hair, taking in another breath to stretch her lungs.

"...You're telling me."

Odd then moved his legs over off the side of the bed, freeing himself from the sheets.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower before lunch... You should too."

Aelita leaned forward, trapping his hand under hers before he could stand up.

"Wait."

He blinked, and then turned himself towards her, watching as she moved over on her knees, and set her arms upon his shoulders.

"Almost forgot." Odd whispered, and then hugged her in a momentary embrace, touching his lips to hers in a delightful kiss.

They separated, and Odd stood to his feet, eyeing her with a cheeky smile as he walked backwards to her door.

"See you in a few, princess."

She watched patiently as he disappeared, and the door audibly shut again.

Her arms then stretched outward, and her eyes rolled around as she grinned again.

 _I should sleep in more often._

* * *

Odd quietly watched himself brush his teeth in the mirror.

 _Missed breakfast. Bummer. Sure crashed hard after being up late and getting crazy to the mixes last night... Twelve whole hours. Good thing lunch is in a little bit._

The nearby door opened, and Ulrich walked in, pausing for a moment when he discovered Odd by the sinks.

"Damn. Did you just get up?"

Odd looked at him with a humored smile, removing the toothbrush from his mouth.

"Yeah."

"Wondered where you were earlier. The Odd I know never skips breakfast."

"Sleep is a priority sometimes."

"Yeah right. Where's your princess anyway?"

"Getting ready... She slept in too."

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed.

"Aelita sleeping in... Sounds like she's following in your footsteps."

Odd huffed as he vanished around the corner of the wall.

 _Everyone's been saying that lately..._

"Maybe she is. But she sure did burn some energy last night."

With no further reply, he rolled his eyes, and finished brushing, quietly leaving the bathroom a few seconds later.

* * *

Odd shoved open the doors to the dormitories, and waited for Aelita to step out before letting them shut behind again. Fingers curled together together, and both of them casually surveyed the outdoors as they walked towards the cafeteria, listening to the calm roar of the city beyond, interrupted by occasional chirps of birds in the surrounding trees.

 _Just another average day. Sure feels weird sometimes... Knowing Xana is still lurking out there._

Odd's eyebrows furrowed, seeing not a single familiar friend anywhere.

"You'd think... As late as we woke up, that there would be more people around."

"...Maybe everybody's at lunch." Aelita suggested, head nodding towards the small structure they approached.

"Guess we'll just have to find out."

Pulling the door open, Odd stepped inside first, alarmed initially by the crowd packed inside, but then delighted by the scent of food in the air.

"You were right."

"It happens."

Wrinkling her nose at him, both teens laughed lightly, plucked trays off the stack and sidling up in front of Rosa.

"Della Robbia... I missed you this morning."

Odd grinned with delight as a larger portion of food was spread onto his tray.

"I'm sorry Rosa. I had to sleep in longer than usual."

She grunted, humored by the blonde's explanation, and then watched as Aelita pushed Odd aside with a smile.

"Can I have an extra portion too...?"

Rosa's eyebrows rose.

"Taking after Odd, I see."

Aelita blushed.

"I skipped breakfast too..."

Rosa simply smiled, and loaded up Aelita's tray too, watching then as the two of them wandered away into the depths of the cafeteria.

 _Cute couple. There's plenty if you both want more._

* * *

After a few moments of observation, and a few bites into the food, Odd set his drink aside, and stopped Aelita's fork from moving.

She looked at him, and his eyebrow rose in return.

"Just got an interesting idea."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Let me show you."

She watched as he reached over, and brought both of their trays together, and then lifted his up, and dumped the contents neatly onto hers.

He pushed his tray aside, brought hers between them, and then used his fork to mix the potatoes and meat around into a grand pile of swirled food.

His eyes met hers again, and she calmly took another sizable bite out of their combined lunch, before nodding in approval.

"How is it?"

"Enjoyably palatable."

"Twice the amount, and just as delicious."

"Yes."

The blonde then dug into the meal, but their prior cooperation turned into competition as they pushed each others forks away, and stole portions of what remained on the platter.

Eventually, the blob of potatoes and gravy and meat, was gone. Even the green beans suffered the same fate of being scavenged.

Aelita set the tray onto the other one nearby, and then sat back, eyeing the blonde contently.

"Much better."

Then, quite to their surprise, they watched as Sissi timidly walked up, and set her tray onto the table.

"Is it alright if I sit with you two?"

* * *

"...Its amazing how every little daydream you've had about someone can be ruined by something you stumble upon."

Sissi sat, poking at the food on her platter around with a fork, and Odd kept a casual eye on the rest of the cafeteria, his hand holding Aelita's beneath the table.

Aelita, having been told Sissi's side of the morning, held her head up with her arm, her face downcast with worry.

 _Ulrich... Its a shame you upset others, trying to make yourself happy. But then again, you can't be responsible for other girl's feelings for you when you don't reciprocate them..._

As if to make the lunch hour stranger, Yumi quietly strolled up to the table. Her eyes met Sissi's, and a mutual feeling of loss instantly clicked on between them, causing her to sit down next to the equally distraught girl without a word.

Several quiet minutes passed, with only the occasional glances traded between the four of them.

"Alright... I can't stand this silence anymore..." Yumi spoke. "Did those two really disappear last night, or is everyone just lying to us?"

Odd blinked.

"Yumi, I stood next to them in the line outside the gym, before the whole event even started. But then when everybody shoved inside, I lost track of them right afterward. The whole time I was either on my own, or with Aelita."

Both Sissi and Yumi's eyes then moved over to her.

"I don't know... I don't remember seeing them, or even Jeremy and Natalia. There were so many people, and even when I was up on the stage, Odd was the only person who made an effort to get my attention."

She shrugged, and shut her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yumi, but this is all a surprise to me too."

Yumi rolled her eyes, and Sissi simply looked out of the window next to her.

"...I don't get what he sees in Emily anyway."

"You just refuse to believe he does see something." Odd spoke pointedly.

Yumi's eyebrows dropped, losing patience.

"I refuse to believe it only took one night for this to happen... Either I haven't been paying attention, or all of you are lying through your teeth."

Aelita slowly shook her head.

"We didn't even know they were together until the dance was over... It must've been a date of some sort, and it looks like it worked out."

The Japanese girl then dropped her fork and stood to her feet.

"I'm done here. None of you are helping."

She turned and walked away, and Sissi's eyes returned to the pair as both of them sighed.

"You know, I used to think both of you would cause all the drama around here... Not Ulrich."

* * *

William, hands in pockets, looked up when Yumi walked past.

"Yumi!"

She paused, recognizing the voice as he walked up next to her.

"Something wrong?"

They traded glances, and her eyes lowered again.

"...Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

After a few seconds of silence, his hand touched her shoulder.

"...If you don't, that's fine, I... You just look pretty upset and I wanna help if I can."

She exhaled, looking at him again.

"Walk with me."

* * *

Jeremy typed furiously on his laptop as Natalia fiddled with his hair.

Her finger then pushed down on the back end of his glasses, lifting them off his nose and bringing his typing to a halt as his vision suddenly blurred.

He turned and looked at her, and they traded smiles as the glasses dropped onto the bridge of his nose again.

"Jerry..."

"Yes?"

She leaned against him and squeezed him into a hug.

"Hi."

He blushed and leaned into her.

"Hellooo."

Jeremy's eyes suddenly widened when the laptop on his knees started beeping in alarm, and he looked at the screen, watching as the scanner program instantly activated, locating an activated tower within seconds.

"What... Just happened with your laptop?"

His face grew pale, and he looked at her again, his mind working hard as he closed the computer.

 _I wondered. I wondered when you'd decide to strike, Xana. Guess it was today._

"Natalia... There's something I'm going to tell you. Right now."

Her eyebrow rose, and his expression hardened.

"Me and Odd, Aelita, Ulrich and Yumi... We're all hiding something. A secret. We've spent years of our life keeping it hidden and repelling its attacks against humanity. You can't tell anybody, and we can't let it win."

She sat upright, watching him carefully as he grasped her hand.

"Right now, we're all in danger. I don't know what sort, but we can't waste anymore time sitting here. There's somewhere all of us have to go... Another world inside a factory just up the river. We have to fight the enemy and stop his attack."

He pushed off the bed, and tugged her to her feet alongside him, sighing, and then eyeing her sadly.

"I never meant to hide this from you, and telling you is a huge risk... But I'm going to show you anyway. All I can say is... Suspend your disbelief."

Still without words, she walked along with him as he opened and shut the door behind him, leading her along the hallway as he pulled out his cell phone and began typing a text message.

"I'm telling the others... We'll all meet in the park. There's an access to the factory from there. You'll see."

* * *

Odd, Aelita and Sissi all leaned against the brick wall of the small vending machine shed in relative silence.

"...Just give him time. He might change his mind."

"Knowing him, it'll take an eternity."

Two cell phones started buzzing at the same time, causing Odd and Aelita to trade a similar expression as their hands found their phones.

 _'SOS Xana.'_ Odd mouthed.

Both of them then looked at Sissi, and Aelita sighed.

"Uh, Sissi... We don't want to sound rude or anything but... Is it alright if we have a little time to ourselves?"

She looked at the pair as both of them eyed her, and her eyes lowered.

"Yeah... Whatever."

"I knew you'd understand... Thank you."

Aelita stepped over, and much to Ms. Delmas' surprise, surrounded her in a hug, before turning and following Odd around the corner.

Several footsteps further, the pair's hands slipped together, and they walked casually through the school's grounds, only to break into a run as soon as their footfall reached the grass.

"Haven't heard from our old friend Xana in a while!"

"I'm just glad he didn't attack yesterday during the dance... That would've been terrible!"

Odd looked at her as they wound their way through the trees towards the manhole in the distance.

"Don't say that too loud... You might give him ideas!"

She shook her head, and both of them slowed their running, only to watch as two other people came to a halt in front of them as their footfall stopped.

 _Jeremy... And Natalia._

Their eyes went back and forth from person to person, and Jeremy held up his finger as he caught his breath.

"I told her. She knows."

The couple's eyes went to the brunette girl, and she watched them carefully.

"You'll see soon enough." Odd spoke. "It's a bigger deal than you think."

"I heard... A virtual world and its malignant occupant that wants to take over our world and kill us."

"That's about right." Aelita nodded.

"Any idea on Yumi and Ulrich?"

A moment of silence hung in the air.

"They're on their way... I hope."


	6. Chapter 6

Ulrich's heart raced as he read an unexpected text message, and his footfall drew to a halt.

 _Seriously? S.O.S. Xana, right now?_

Emily looked at him as he eyed her gravely.

"Ulrich?"

"Emily... I just got a message."

He dropped his phone inside his pants pocket, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"What happened?"

"An emergency, a friend of mine, I... I have to go."

He looked down the hallway, and she gripped his wrist, bringing his eyes to hers.

"I'm sorry Emily, its urgent. I've..."

His mouth stopped producing words, and after a moment, his hands rose, and he locked her into a kiss against the wall.

Their lips drifted apart, and he squeezed her into a hug right afterward.

"I'll be back soon. I promise."

 _He turned, and then burst into a full-out run down the hallway, vanishing around the corner within seconds, leaving her in a whirlwind of confusion and worry._

 _What on earth just happened?_

* * *

Ulrich stormed through the trees, coming up to the group that suddenly appeared before him after one turn.

He slowed to a stop, trading expressions with the five others looking at him, and Jeremy held his hand out.

"Before anybody says anything... Has anyone actually seen Xana's attack?"

Met with several negatives, he exhaled.

"Well that's a bad thing. Xana hasn't started an attack for months, so expect anything."

He then slid the manhole cover aside, and after hesitation, the group descended into the sewers one by one.

At the bottom of the ladder, the familiar gloom of the underground canal filled everyone's senses, and they congregated around their skateboards and scooters nearby.

"What did you end up telling Emily?"

Ulrich looked at Odd as he kicked the tail of his skateboard up, holding onto the end.

"I said it was an emergency with a friend... I don't know. I just stuttered and said sorry and I'll be back soon and ran away."

His eyes sank.

"I felt terrible. Just lying to her like that for her own good... I know we lie to teachers and parents and all, but..."

He shook his head, and Odd patted him on the shoulder.

"You'll figure it out good buddy. I know you can."

"But I can't just tell her about Lyoko... Not like Jeremy."

* * *

Coming to a halt at the end of the sewer, the cluster of teens dismounted from their skateboards and scooters, continuing up the ladder onto the deck of the factory's bridge.

Natalia's eyes ran along the flank of the massive structure as they walked across the canal.

"So this is the factory."

"Just wait until you're inside."

Running under the shadow, their eyes adjusted to the gloomy interior of the erecting hall, and both Odd and Ulrich grabbed the cables ahead and slid down to the bottom floor.

The brunette girl looked at Jeremy as he watched the other two girls slide down moments later.

"What was this place?"

"An automobile plant. It's been shut down and abandoned for quite a while."

He then took her hand.

"Come on. We still have to go down a ways. In that elevator."

Seconds later, the final pair of the group slid down to the floor, and several expressions were traded as six people crowded into the elevator car.

"And now, for the most mysterious part of it all..." Odd drawled, watching as several smiles appeared as the sheet metal door closed, and the car swiftly sank into the earth towards its destination below.

"So this place is abandoned, and yet the elevator works just fine..."

"Lots of things still work just fine." Ulrich spoke. "Xana knows it too."

The elevator drew to a halt, and all eyes went to the large door lock next to them as it twisted, and then popped open, pulling the metal doors aside, and revealing the eerie glow of the world projector, with the screen interface a few feet away.

Several looks were traded as Jeremy led Natalia towards the chair just beyond.

"You guys get to the scanners. I'll take it from here."

The elevator door slid shut again, and the brunette girl's eyes pored over the screens as they turned on with the press of a single key.

"Is this...?"

"This is the command center. The scanners are below us, and the actual supercomputer tower is on the lowest floor."

She touched her hand to her chin, watching as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Well, I've never seen anything like it."

"There's a reason we keep it a secret. If anybody knew, they'd keep us from getting here, and stopping Xana."

"Who is Xana, anyway?"

"The thing that made my laptop go crazy. He activated a tower on Lyoko so he can attack the real world, but we don't know what he's planning yet. Problem is, he's got a million electrical things at his disposal, so its best we take care of the tower as quickly as possible."

"So, Xana tries to shut down the power grid?"

Jeremy looked at her.

"Xana uses pure electricity... To possess and control people, cars, machinery... Or to just plain electrocute everyone."

Her eyes widened.

"Xana's tries to kill all of us, over and over. Almost succeeded a few times, too."

"So how can you get rid of him?"

"That's the hard part. Xana is a virus of sorts. He's not human."

His arm reached out, setting his hand on her shoulder, and pushing a tuft of her hair aside.

"Aelita is the daughter of the creator, and is the only person that can deactivate the towers. Her father, Franz Hopper, built the supercomputer, created Lyoko, and created Xana to destroy a government project, but Xana became self aware and took control of Lyoko. Franz Hopper shut down the supercomputer with him and Aelita virtualized inside..."

He sighed heavily.

"And a few years ago, we found the supercomputer, and turned it back on, finding her."

Natalia's mouth opened.

"She was still alive?"

"Yes. Was in there for about ten years, give or take. We finally brought her back to earth, but it wasn't easy."

Hearing voices on the headset, the blonde picked it up and put it onto his ear.

"Are you all ready?"

"In the scanners, Einstein!"

"Alright. Beginning the transfer."

He looked at Natalia again.

"More than meets the eye, right?"

"I'll say."

"Transfer... Scanner..."

She eyed the screen, fascinated by the numerous programs running at the same time.

"Are you the only one that runs this?"

"Aelita can too... But I don't go onto Lyoko. I'm better off here, keeping an eye on things."

She leaned against the chair, watching the reflections on his glasses.

"Virtualization."

A grid-map appeared, and three colored circles appeared, followed by a fourth moments later.

"Are they in?"

"Yep. In the desert sector."

"Doesn't look like much."

He brought the headset mic closer to his mouth.

"Alright guys, the tower is south-southeast... Aelita, can you send us a visual while I virtualize your vehicles?"

"Sure!"

Within moments, another window appeared, and Natalia peered closer to the screen as a faded, reddish-tan landscape appeared among an orange horizon.

Then, with a turn, appeared Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd in their virtual attire, offering waves, and then watching as their three vehicles appeared nearby.

"Welcome to Lyoko." Ulrich grunted, hand on the hilt of his saber.

Front-flipping onto his hoverboard, Odd chuckled, flicking his tail.

"Nothing in the real world, is quite like this one!"

Aelita stepped up onto the rear of the board, and watched as the other two vehicles were quickly mounted.

"Its hard to believe, until you've been through what we have." Yumi spoke.

Natalia then watched as Jeremy handed the headset to her.

"Say something." He smiled.

"I'm... I don't even know what to say."

"Amazing? Bizarre? Beyond your wildest dreams?"

Aelita wrapped her arms around Odd's waist as the three of them suddenly blasted forward, racing through the landscape with great speed.

"...Pretty much." She spoke, exhaling with a feeling of wonder.

Receiving the headset again, Jeremy nodded.

"Okay Aelita, thanks for the visual. Keep an eye out for monsters, guys!"

"...Monsters?" Natalia drawled.

"Something's gotta defend the towers from us. Xana has several at his disposal."

"So, they kill the monsters, and bring Aelita to the tower to shut down the attack."

"You've got it."

She propped her head up on her arm.

"This gets more and more complex."

"If something really bad happens in our world, the computer can launch a return to the past, reversing everything up to a day."

"Wha... How?"

"It's a supercomputer. It has an unfathomable amount of power to run Lyoko, so its capable."

After a moment of chewing his lip, he exhaled.

"After this mission... If nothing happens outside, we don't have to do a return."

"But if you do...?"

"Then I have to re-explain everything to you. Its a temporal recursion. We've been scanned onto Lyoko, so we remember. Everybody else..."

Her heart raced.

"Everybody else won't?"

"Right."

She eyed him sadly.

"So I won't remember a thing?"

Jeremy eyed her.

"Natalia... If you can keep this all a secret like the rest of us, I can scan you, so the computer will remember. And you will remember too."

She watched him carefully.

"I can't stress it enough though. You can't tell anyone. Nobody can know about this but us. We have a lot of trust in our friendships, and we've scraped by for years... But we just can't let Lyoko be discovered until we defeat Xana, and shut it down for good."

Touching her cheek, he eyed her softly.

"It's up to you. We could use another ally in this fight, but its your choice."

Her eyes sank to his hands as he turned the chair, and grasped her fingers.

After a moment, her mouth opened.

"I want to remember... But I'm not sure I can handle it."

Squeezing her palms, he eyed her pointedly.

"We've managed, and we've been through it all. If we can live by ourselves at the Academy, fending for ourselves, we can fight Xana too."

"But isn't it stressful? Saving the day, being haunted by this... Xana, and doing good in school, all at the same time?"

"Yes, without a doubt. But we do it anyway. For humanity, and for our own futures. The fight will be worth it, someday."

"But for now... Everyone struggles to survive."

"Just part of growing up, right?"

She sighed.

"Yeah."

Glancing at the screen, the blonde then watched her eyes for a moment.

"Here... Come sit with me."

She turned around, gently pushing herself up onto the chair, and easing onto his lap.

The blonde buried his face into her hair, and breathed in the scent, forcing a smile as her neck tickled.

Settling back, and leaning her head against his on his shoulder, she watched his free arm patter a line of code onto the screen.

"Press the enter key."

Her arm reached over and tapped it, and the digital grid map quickly scrolled over to the activated tower some distance away from the warriors speeding across the land.

"There's the tower... Still no monsters."

The blonde then set the headset onto the keyboard, and his arms wrapped around her sides, squeezing her tight.

A moment of silence began, among the hum of the holomap and the screens.

"Natalia."

Her head turned, and the blonde rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

"...I want to protect you. The reason I brought you here with us, is because I trust you."

"Do they trust me too?"

"Yes. We all do. I didn't want to mysteriously abandon you at school either, so I took the risk of bringing you."

"Am I worth the risk?"

He blushed.

"Of course."

A smile grew on her face, and her finger pushed his glasses up into his hair.

"Why's that?"

His voice hushed.

"Because... I love you."

Her finger then turned his chin to the side, and she tucked him into a sweet, simple kiss.

* * *

Several expressions and grins were traded by the Lyoko warriors as they cruised along low to the ground, kicking up a cloud of virtual dust behind their vehicles.

"Did you hear that?" Odd chuckled.

"Sure did." Yumi nodded, paralleling the Overboard on the Overwing.

"Einstein getting mushy again?" Ulrich drawled.

"Happens once in a great while, when the stars align!"

"I bet there's more to it than we see." Aelita remarked.

"Jeremy's a secretive guy... For all we know, his silence probably means h-."

"Krabes!"

"And Tarantulas!"

The fumble of a microphone brought their attentions upward.

"Five monsters dead ahead, guys!"

Several eyes watched a cluster of monsters virtualize just ahead, and two stepped aside to reveal an open megatank in the middle.

"Thanks for the warning, Jeremy!"

"The tower's behind them, in that hole!"

"Hang on Aelita!"

Odd tilted the Overboard and swiftly turned to the left, only then to tilt right and drag his paw along the desert rock, dodging laser blasts and zooming just past one of the moving Krabes in a curve. He then circled tighter around the group of monsters, watching as Ulrich's overbike suddenly slammed into a Tarantula, knocking it off its feet.

A flash of yellow zoomed through the air, and then two fans whirled past as the pair continued in a circle around the group, watching as the fallen Tarantula was stabbed in the head, and a Krab was struck by both fans, destroying both simultaneously.

"I think its time to test your electric dodgeballs, Aelita!"

"Which one do I aim for?"

"The biggest!"

Clutching the blonde's side with one arm, Aelita squinted at the megatank as it rotated, tracking their flight trajectory.

Suddenly, its distinct wall of orange laser emerged in front of the pair, and Odd pulled a sudden high-G turn, heading along the shimmering, deadly barrier straight towards its source.

"Go for it!"

Watching him duck, she lifted her hand.

"Energy field!"

A pink sphere, churning with energy, appeared and then blasted from her hand when she pointed her finger. Just afterward, Odd began shooting several laser arrows at the remaining Krabe, striking it in several places.

The sphere however, struck the megatank's retracting laser wall at an oblique angle and simply ricocheted, striking the Krabe instead just moments before the megatank slammed its halves shut, and began rolling backwards.

The pair looked down as the Krabe staggered, visibly churning with the same energy, before exploding, and Odd tilted the overboard upwards, swiftly gaining altitude.

"That one felt like dancing before dying." Odd shrugged, matching her smile as she resumed her grip around his waist.

Just behind, Ulrich continuously deflected laser fire from the remaining Tarantula, and Yumi swept in on the Overwing from above, distracting the monster for a moment as Ulrich charged forward for the kill.

Instead of a swift stab, he was suddenly smacked aside by the Tarantula's leg, only to be countered by Yumi's tessen fans striking its head and back. Growling angrily as Ulrich hopped upright, the monster exploded in defeat, seconds before Yumi appeared on the Overwing, pausing next to the brunette.

"Mount up."

He re-sheathed his saber, and stepped up onto the Overwing, holding onto her as it suddenly sped into motion.

"Yumi... About earlier."

She lifted her hand.

"Spare me, Ulrich. We're not going to talk about things for a while."

Closing his mouth, he furrowed his eyebrows, and looked at the Megatank below rolling swiftly towards the tower just beyond.

Then, after a moment of consideration, the Overwing jerked to the side as he blasted off of it.

Yumi watched a streak of yellow rocket diagonally towards the ground below, and spotted Odd and Aelita converging on the megatank from above.

 _Alright. Just one left._

* * *

Soaring downwards with great speed, Odd watched the monster carefully, seeing Ulrich's blur rapidly approach it at the same time.

"I bet you can beat him, Aelita!"

"No promises..." She breathed, summoning another ball of energy in her palm.

"Shield!"

Odd's purple protective disc appeared, and Aelita put her arm over his shoulder as he hunkered down again.

With a point of her finger, the second energy ball blasted from her hand, and struck the megatank directly, stopping the monster, and causing Ulrich to suddenly wedge his saber into the seam between the two halves.

"Well you got it, but it didn't explode."

"The shell is still impervious. You have to hit it when it opens itself." Jeremy spoke.

"Ulrich's jammed into it... I'll take Aelita to the tower. He can handle the megatank."

"Alright. I've been checking the local news, nothing unusual going on in the real world."

"Strange. What would cause Xana to do an empty attack?"

"I don't know Aelita, but we've underestimated his plans in the past. I'll keep an eye out."

Ulrich struggled to pull the tip of his saber out, but it held fast as the Megatank turned slightly.

Then, in an instant, the eyes appeared along the outside of the shell, and he found himself suddenly flying backwards in an accidental launch as the shell popped open, producing a wall of laser within seconds that followed him through the air.

Yumi, flying just past the scene, blinked as the wall-laser narrowly missed both the Overwing, and the brunette boy below as he stomped up onto his feet.

"I've had enough of this bowling ball!"

Charging towards it in a super-sprint, Ulrich moved through several curves, causing the monster to rotate repeatedly to to target him. Then, mere footsteps away, he blasted upwards in a low horizontal arc, swinging his katana below, and cutting a gash across its middle eye.

Soaring over the edge of the rocky cliff, with an explosion seconds behind, he braced for a landing on the surface below, the tower standing just ahead.

 ***SMASH***

A web of cracks spread from the impact of his feet, and after sheathing his saber, he looked up at Odd, who gave him a thumbs up in response.

Moments later, Yumi appeared nearby and dismounted from the Overwing, and the three of them watched as Aelita began walking towards the tower

"Aelita, wait!"

Yumi pointed at the tower, and Odd propped his hand on his side, all eyes watching as the aura of the tower faded from red... To a neutral blue.

"Jeremy..."

"The tower deactivated on its own!"

A confused grunt came over the microphone.

"Aelita didn't go inside?"

"I started walking towards it, but it shut down by itself."

"I... Guess you're right. Xana must have called off his attack... This is getting weird."

"What do we do?" Ulrich spoke, walking up to the others.

"The superscan shows nothing... There's no more activated towers on Lyoko."

"So Xana just gave up?"

Aelita walked back towards the group, pausing next to Odd, who set his foot onto the Overboard.

"Looks like it. I'll bring you guys in for now. We'll have to keep an eye on things in case he starts another attack."

"That's practically normal these days."

"Materialization Aelita, materialization Ulrich, materialization Odd..."


	7. Chapter 7

Jeremy looked over as the elevator door opened, and all four of his friends stepped into the lab. His face showed a concerned, calculative expression, and not a word was spoken as everyone crowded around the screens, trading glances.

"I've been thinking about something for a few days."

Further silence hung among the hum of the projector and screens, as Jeremy put words together.

"Natalia knows about Lyoko now. And the supercomputer, and Xana. I brought her along for reasons beyond my own, and I trust her. I know you all trust her too, as a friend... And I think she could be a lot of help with our fight in the future."

Several expressions changed with interest.

"You want her to join us?"

"Yes. I want to scan her into the supercomputer. When the time comes, she can fight Xana on Lyoko too, but for now... I just want her to remember things so she can help us."

He eyed each friend in particular.

"I wanted to tell all of you and make sure you knew, before I go ahead and do it."

Yumi eyed Natalia sternly.

"There shouldn't be a problem, as long as she can keep a few secrets."

All eyes returned to the girl in question, and she nodded nervously.

"I think she can handle it." Ulrich spoke, calmly countering Yumi's statement.

Jeremy's raised eyebrow then went to Odd, and then Aelita, who simply nodded in agreement.

"We've taken bigger risks, right? I think you can go ahead and scan her, Einstein."

Jeremy exhaled, eyeing the center screen on the interface.

"Okay. Bring her down to the scanner room, and I'll start the process."

His hand gathered hers, and for a moment, excitement flickered between them.

"See you in a few minutes, okay?"

She exhaled in another nod, and walked around the chair to the group, and then the five of them turned and headed towards the elevator.

The complex door twisted and locked shut, and Natalia looked at the others as the car descended down the shaft.

"So Jeremy gave you the rundown on everything, right?"

"Yes. There's a lot to this place."

"Which is why we keep it secret."

Aelita offered a smile to her.

"We have faith in you... But the nature of Lyoko and the supercomputer make it hard to trust people. People that could help us, have just gotten in the way before."

"All of us were strangers years ago, and half the time we barely got along at school. But as soon as Xana attacked, we put aside our differences, and saved the day."

"Odd's right. No matter what happens, stopping Xana is our priority."

"And then school."

"Speaking of, finals are coming soon."

All eyes then went to Odd as the elevator door reopened.

"You're gonna try make it to 11th grade, right?"

"No paper swans either."

The blonde blushed, looking to Aelita as the group stepped into the scanner room.

"Of course I'll make it. I'll study and everything. You wait and see!"

Jeremy's voice crackled over the intercom in a chuckle, and Natalia looked up, heart racing as she eyed the three scanners surrounding the group.

"Is Natalia in position?"

"Yep."

"Step into the open scanner. When the door shuts, just close your eyes, and let the computer do its work."

She looked at the others after taking an apprehensive step towards the open cylinder.

"It wont hurt you."

"...Too much." Odd remarked, only to be playfully hit by Aelita.

She continued inside and turned around, and moments later, the door shut, leaving the others in a grip of contemplative silence.

"I sure hope this is a good idea."

Jeremy sighed.

"Me too."

A mere minute later, after much whirring and noise created by the scanner, it opened, and Natalia fell back against the interior, short of breath.

"Okay, the program is done. She should appear in a few seconds..."

Blinking, eyes open, she eyed the others and carefully stepped out, looking at her hands and arms.

"How do you feel?"

She exhaled.

"I don't know. I felt like I was falling for a while."

"Just wait until you get virtualized onto Lyoko."

Walking up in front of them, several smiles were traded.

"You're officially a Lyoko warrior now."

"I guess so." She grinned.

"Now you just have to be ready for anything, and everything."

A breath escaped her lips.

"You'll get used to it."

"By that, he means you'll be as crazy as the rest of us."

"But not as crazy as Odd."

Both boys exchanged looks.

"I'd rather be crazy than a grump."

"Whatever."

Several laughs ensued as the group clustered back into the elevator.

"Let's get back to the academy. Should be getting close to supper."

* * *

"When you were scanned, the supercomputer created a digital envelope of your body, modeling attributes of it with your subconscious personality."

"Once you go to Lyoko, you'll see yourself, and learn your weapons and abilities."

Ulrich smiled with amusement.

"Be warned, you might look weird."

"On the inside, I turned out to be a big purple cat." Odd nodded. "But I'm used to it. My Lyoko form is normal, second nature now."

Natalia's eyes wandered.

"I can't even think of anything that really defines me."

"Whats your favorite color?"

She looked at Aelita.

"Green."

After a pause among walking, a grin spread upon her face.

"That'll be my color, won't it?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Jeremy smiled.

Ulrich then paused in realization, bringing the others to a momentary halt ahead of him.

"You guys go on... I just remembered something."

He broke into a run towards the dormitories, and more glances were traded as he vanished out of sight.

Yumi shook her head as they continued towards the cafeteria, and the others stayed silent, leery of her, until William approached the group seconds later.

"Hey Yumi, are you feeling better?"

Realizing the timing, she produced a smile.

"Yes I am. You want to join me for dinner?"

"Uh, sure!"

Joining the group, they walked up to the doorway of the Cafeteria, and Jeremy gave the others a cautionary expression as the door was opened.

Avoiding an awkward silence, Odd opened his mouth after smelling the air inside.

"Smells like a roast... Can't wait for this one!"

"You're excited about anything Rosa cooks."

"A man that eats anyone's cooking will never go hungry." Odd spoke, handing Aelita a tray before grabbing one of his own.

"That doesn't mean you aren't picky." Yumi countered.

Narrowing his eyebrows at her, he then eyed Aelita as they moved down along the counter

"Alright you... Rosa's cooking reminds me of my mom's back home. Maybe I find comfort in that."

His words met an empty space as the Asian girl walked away with William, and he then eyed Rosa as he and Aelita moved up in front of her.

Having heard his words, the woman smiled contently.

"Well Della Robbia, I can't take all of the credit. Many of my recipes are my mother's work."

Odd beamed as a large bowl of roast was placed upon his platter.

"Then she was also a fantastic cook."

"Seems like some of the best things pass down through generations." Aelita remarked.

Both of them eyed Aelita, and she offered an innocent smile as Rosa nodded.

"...Especially for a sweet young lady like you."

She blushed from her praise, and Odd nudged her along.

"She's right, you know."

Migrating to their usual table, a few half baked smiles were traded as they sat down across from William and Yumi.

"Hey Odd, Aelita."

"William."

"How's it going?"

"Good."

Watching the pair devour their meal for a few moments, Natalia set her fork down, breaking the following silence.

"You guys gonna be ready for finals?"

Jeremy chuckled from the looks of near horror appearing on the boy's faces, and Aelita nudged Odd.

"Yes, we will. Because we're going to study this year."

Swallowing, Odd nodded.

"Its official, I'm changing my ways."

A smirk lifted the corner of William's mouth.

"The paper swans won't be returning this year?"

"Sadly no. Somebody wants me to try for at least a B minus average."

"That's a tall order." Jeremy remarked, watching as Aelita stuck out her tongue at him in response.

"Any effort is better than nothing."

William's hand rose to his messy hair as Yumi eyed him.

"I guess that's true."

"You'd better study too, Dunbar."

He looked away sheepishly.

"...At least try."

"The fate of your graduation depends on it." Odd warned cheekily.

"Says you." Yumi spoke between bites.

"Says me!" He countered. "Don't follow in my footsteps as a washout, William."

Rolling his eyes, he resumed eating, and Jeremy finished his can of soda.

"I'm waiting for the day when all of my male friends get passing grades."

Sensing a challenge, Aelita reclined back in her chair.

"It'll happen."

"When?"

"Soon."

Narrowing his eyes, Jeremy slowly nodded.

"Prove it then."

Odd pushed his now empty tray forward.

"Alright Einstein, I will. But first... Let's be serious and make a wager."

"Money?"

"Put it where your mouth is. I bet ten euros that I can get a passing grade on every final."

Several smiles slowly rose on the others faces as Jeremy sat in contemplation.

"C average...?"

"Or better."

"I bet twenty... If you can pull of a B average."

Odd exhaled, but then reached his arm out towards him.

"Deal. You're on."

Meeting his hand with a shake, Jeremy looked at Natalia, and Aelita chewed her lip for a moment.

 _Guess I have my work cut out for me._

* * *

Odd's heart pounded from his own scholarly sentencing, as he walked with the group out of the cafeteria.

"A few more days of school, finals, and then summer vacation..." William stretched his arms into the sky. "Can't wait to get it over with!"

Splitting off towards the dormitories, Jeremy looked back at Odd, Natalia by his side.

"Better have that money by next week, Odd!"

Aelita put her hand on his shoulder as William and Yumi both laughed, walking towards the distant schoolyard gate.

Odd then sighed in defeat.

"I'm ruined."

"No you're not, silly."

Looking at her, he smiled as she collected his other hand in her fingers.

"If I do too well, it'll look like you just did everything for me."

"No it won't. We aren't striving for straight As, but as long as you try..."

Her hand settled onto his chest over his heart.

"That's what really matters. In here."

"I just don't know if I have the patience."

"You will... Or else."

"Or else?" He blinked, humored.

"Yes. We'll be study buddies every afternoon after class."

"As long as we get to be cuddle buddies too."

Her head tilted with a blush.

"Of course."

Emotions flickered between their eyes, and she breathed into a giggle, stepping forward and squeezing him in an embrace.

"Besides winning money from Jeremy, think of who else will be blown away when Della Robbia of all people passes the finals victoriously..."

Various shocked faces of fainting teachers played through his imagination, and he slowly grinned.

"That alone would be worth it."

"Exactly."

* * *

Odd sat in the darkness of his bedroom, petting Kiwi on his lap, lost in late night contemplation.

"I think Aelita is saving my life, and I don't even know it."

Seeing his tail wag, Odd smiled.

"She seems to believe in me a lot more than anyone else."

Pawing at Odd's hand, Kiwi then licked his finger repeatedly.

"I know Kiwi. She's a wonderful person. That's why I love her."

His ears perked, and both of their heads turned to the door when the doorknob slowly twisted.

"Odd?"

"Ulrich."

Tiptoeing inside, the boy pulled off his shoes and slumped down onto his bed.

"Been up to no good?"

He paused.

"That's your job."

"You with Emily earlier?"

"Yeah. Took a page from your book and went on a date."

A grin split Odd's face.

"How'd it go?"

"Good. We ate, talked endlessly, went for a walk... Its so easy to be myself around her. Feels so good in this weird way."

"She really likes you."

"I really like her too... I can't get over how pretty she is now that I've been around her a lot. She was cute a couple years ago that one time, but now..."

His eyes sank, reveling in visual memory.

"She's just hot. Like, wow. Her hair and her eyes..."

Looking over at Odd, they both burst into laughter.

"...Man I sound silly."

"Not at all good buddy. I know how you feel."

A happy sigh left Ulrich's lungs.

"I used to think you were always being a ball of mush about Aelita, but its different now that I can relate."

Kiwi stood from Odd's lap and hopped down onto the floor.

"She drives you wild, doesn't she."

"Oh yeah. You have no idea."

Reclining down onto the sheets and pillows, Odd folded his arms back behind his head.

Both of the boys lay in silence on their beds, smiling.

"...Ulrich."

"What?"

"Its good to hear you like this."

Odd's eyes drifted shut.

"She really makes you happy. I can tell."

"Yeah."

"Don't give up on her."

"Not planning to. Ever."

After several minutes, Ulrich looked over, but Odd was visibly dozing.

 _Don't you worry, good buddy._


	8. Chapter 8

Odd sat on a bench in the school courtyard, watching leaves sway slowly on the branches above.

 _Another sunny late spring morning... Still at school. On a Monday._

A group of other students passed in the distance, and then a single set of footsteps approached him.

"Hey Odd."

"Morning."

"What force of nature drug you out of bed before me?"

A smile crept onto his face as he looked down from the sky, facing Ulrich as he leaned against the back of the bench.

"Aliens. And knowing the end of the school year is coming."

"Heh, yeah. Just have to battle finals."

Trading glances, Ulrich squinted at him.

"You gonna try this time?"

"Yes. Aelita is determined to make me pass... And I bet Jeremy money last night that I will."

A laugh escaped Ulrich's lungs.

"How much?"

"He upped it to twenty Euros."

Ulrich grinned.

"I can't wait to see how this turns out."

Odd furrowed his eyebrows.

"You might be surprised."

"I might. Especially if you have Aelita's superbrain on your side."

He then looked around the courtyard.

"Where is she anyway?"

"In the library getting books." Odd sighed.

"You set yourself up good, huh?"

"I'd hate life if I was stuck into remedial classes... And now that we're getting to the later end of high school, stuff gets a bit more serious."

Ulrich looked at him vaguely.

"So you're all done being a carefree washout."

"I guess. I don't think Aelita would appreciate if I started failing again next year."

"Neither would your parents."

"Or yours."

Ulrich rolled his eyes.

"This might be a good time for both of us to turn a new leaf."

"Don't be expecting A pluses, Odd."

"I'm not. If you want to study with us, then you're more than welcome. Couldn't hurt, right?"

Ulrich shook his head.

"We have a few days until finals, and now you're deciding to pull it all together."

"Just because I'm not taking notes in class, doesn't mean I don't remember things."

"Uh huh."

Both of the boys looked over as Aelita approached them in a run, laden with a heavy cloth bag.

"Morning!" She chirped, screeching to a halt, and plunking down onto the bench next to Odd, short on breath.

"Okay, I got the four recommended books for each subject of the finals."

Pulling out sizable textbooks, Ulrich chuckled as she began stacking them on Odd's lap.

"World History, Algebra II... Foreign Language, and Biology."

Odd looked at her dumbfounded, and then looked at Ulrich, who was now lacking humor.

"You should study with us too, Ulrich."

"I already told him that." Odd mumbled, prying open the top book.

"I've been memorizing everything for a few months... So it'll be easy for me to help you both." She beamed.

"Sure wish I had that ability... When are we all meeting to s-."

"In the library after classes. Every day."

Eyeing both of the boys, she then narrowed her eyes.

"You'll both be there, or else I will find you. No matter where you hide."

A smile crept onto Odd's face from the threat.

"We'll be there."

* * *

Jeremy sat down at the table with a plate of breakfast, and blinked, seeing books and binders on the table, and Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich all sitting in a row.

"I wrote down a list a while ago of the main subjects for each test. These are what we'll be finding in the textbooks, and committing to memory."

The boys both pored over the written list, and Aelita smiled defiantly at Jeremy.

"This can't be that bad..."

"Last year's finals were brutal, Odd."

"And yet we made it through. This year we'll do even better!"

Jeremy suppressed a laugh, and began eating as Natalia sat beside him.

"This is different."

"Progress." Aelita noted, watching as Odd flipped to the index of one of the books.

"1850s... Crimean War, Bessemer, uh, steel... Napoleon the third. Pages 210 through... 326."

Flipping back through the book, Ulrich propped his head onto his arm as a picture of a battle appeared on the page.

"Russia versus... Us, the English, Sardines, and the Ottoman Empire."

"We never seem to stop fighting everybody, do we?" Odd remarked.

"Aelita, do you have..."

Ulrich's question ended as she handed him a folded slip of paper with '1850 History' written on it.

"...Thanks."

Sticking it into the top of the binding, he then closed the book as Odd took a bite of his eggs.

Then, Yumi appeared and sat next to Natalia, and William pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table.

"Morning." Chimed several people.

Avoiding eye contact, Ulrich pulled over another book.

"Alright Odd, uhh, Biology."

"You guys are already studying?"

"Yep, getting ready to this afternoon." Odd answered, enjoying the varied expressions from his surrounding friends.

"You should too, William." Aelita spoke calmly.

"Don't help them too much."

Combating Yumi's remark, she eyed the boys as they quietly flipped through pages, handing them another bookmark as soon as they found the chapter.

"I think they'll do just fine."

"We'll see about that."

Aelita huffed.

"Since you seem so doubtful, I'd like to see you get William studying. And passing."

Odd and Ulrich traded hidden smiles, and Jeremy nodded, still suppressing laughter.

 _This is fantastic._

"You're on, Aelita."

William looked back and forth at the two women as competition brewed within their minds.

"Uhh..."

"Don't get cold feet now, Willy."

Narrowing his eyes from Ulrich's remark, he crossed his arms.

"Right back at you, Stern."

* * *

"...Towards the end of the Second Republic in 1852, the Crimean War begin a year later in 1853, after the re-establishment of the French Empire by Napoleon Bonaparte the third, inevitably leading to victory in the conflict in 1856. Years later though, political instability and the rise of Prussia would lead to the Franco-Prussian war, resulting in defeat, and the beginning of the Third Republic in 1870, ending Napoleon's reign."

Mr. Fumet turned around from the whiteboard, and after wiping his glasses, put them on, noticing both Ulrich Stern and Odd Della Robbia were furiously writing down notes.

Ulrich's hand then shot up.

"Sir, was Prussia related to Russia, or something else?"

"Ah, the name is confusing, yes, but Prussia at its height was northern Germany and several regions to the east."

Odd's hand then rose.

"So that means Prussia is early Germany...?"

"Indeed. The German Empire rose to prominence in 1871."

"Does that mean we fought Germany even before World War One?"

A chuckle came from Mr. Fumet.

"Yes, Della Robbia, you could say we've had it out with each other for almost a century... But relations have been nothing but peace for quite a while now."

Watching their pencils scribble down words, he slowly nodded.

 _Good to see you two are finally taking notes. I wonder what kind of magic... No... Fear made them wise up?_

Turning on the slide projector, he then turned off the light switch and sat in the chair next to the projector.

His eyes drifted across the darkened room as the students finished writing notes, noticing Aelita watching the two boys writing with a nod and a whisper.

 _Stones? No. She's one of the star pupils. I doubt she has an ounce of intimidation in her._

Looking over at Jeremy, who was whispering to Natalia and pointing at the trio across the room.

 _Belpois however... Kid sure looks smug. I bet its him. Nobody else keeps a 99.8% around here._

 _...Well, Stones has a 99.5% grade. Smart kids._

After a few moments of silence, Mr. Fumet blinked when he realized the entire class was waiting for him to continue.

"Uhh, right. Here we have several slides of military elements from the Crimean War..."

Dropping in a slide, an upside down map of the Black Sea appeared instead.

 _Shit, wait..._

Pulling it out with an embarrassed chuckle, he dropped in another, showing a trio of men in uniform.

"The Crimean War is considered one of the first wars to use new and upcoming technology, and the first to be documented in photography."

Changing slides to a warship, he cleared his throat.

"Much of the war hosted naval conflict with explosive cannon shells and ironclad ships, with Britain earning oceanic superiority after sinking much of the Russian fleet."

Pausing for another scribble of notes, his eyes fell upon the boys, met with another fury of writing.

 _This is a real nice change. Too bad they didn't start two years ago._

 _Sigh. So soon old, so late smart..._

* * *

Walking out of history class, Odd, Aelita and Ulrich headed towards the library.

"Anybody else notice Mr. Fumet acting weird?"

"Yeah."

"I think he started going bananas when he realized we were taking notes."

Aelita rolled her eyes.

"...And since you two took notes so well, we're going to review everything in a couple minutes."

Passing through the doorway and shuffling through a class exiting the library, the trio wandered through the shelves to a corner near one of the windows, seating themselves against the wall.

Setting down their bags and taking out notebooks, Aelita dropped the textbook in front of them, grimacing when the book make a spectacular ***THUNK*** that echoed through the building.

"...Right. Page 210."

Flipping through pages, she then moved the book to her lap instead.

"Let's start with the basics. Uhh... When did the war begin?

"1856... No, '53."

"Began in 1853, and ended in 1856. Who were the belligerents?"

Met with blank looks, she sighed.

"...The opponents."

"France, Britain, uhh, Sardinia, and the Ottomans, against Russia."

"Good. Who was reigning at the time of the war?"

"Napoleon the third."

"What changed about France during the war?"

"Revolution."

"The Second Republic."

"There we are. What happened to the republic?"

Odd quickly perused his scribbles of notes.

"Became the French Empire again."

"Alright. What were two outcomes of the war?"

"The Ottoman empire lost power, and..."

"Russia gave up land, citizens, and having their military in the Black Sea."

"Perfect." Aelita smiled, flipping through several pages, and then pausing.

"Not that bad, is it?"

Odd and Ulrich shrugged.

"Now find your notes on Bessemer Steel."

* * *

Walking towards the cafeteria, Aelita held her head high, with Ulrich and Odd in tow.

"Hope you two are ready for another round tomorrow evening."

Giving the other slightly reluctant looks, they both sighed in unison.

"Yes."

"By this coming Wednesday, you'll both be in fantastic shape for the finals. Can't wait to rub it into... Hey Jeremy!"

The three of them paused as he joined their group.

"Joining us for dinner?"

"Yeah... Don't I normally?"

"Not when there's a virus to fight."

He grunted at Odd's remark.

"Don't be causing bad omens."

Stepping inside the cafeteria, the four of them lined up in front of Rosa, quickly collecting piles of food and migrating to their table shortly afterward.

In an unusual manner, not a single word was spoken as all four individuals stuffed food into their mouths, creating an interesting scene as Yumi and William joined them again.

Noticing their arrival, Aelita swallowed and drank a gulp of water.

"Hey Ulrich, who were the main opponents of the Crimean war?"

Pausing in a grunt, with Odd following just afterward , Ulrich swallowed.

"Russia, um, and the allies."

Receiving several looks, he blinked.

"...Being France, Britain, Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire."

"Oh, and both Russia and the Ottomans lost influence over Europe afterwards." Odd added.

Showing a slow grin, Aelita then looked at her boyfriend.

"During the war, a British man developed a method of refining steel with oxygen. What was his name?"

Odd paused in recollection.

"Henry... Bessemer."

After a nod, Aelita eyed Yumi, who was not very impressed.

"So they learned a little history for once."

"And its just the beginning."

"Aren't they supposed to know these things anyway?"

Aelita smiled contently at the remark.

"A refreshment of information always helps, especially towards the end of the semester."

Yumi rolled her eyes.

"I think you're in over your head, Aelita."

Several people watched quietly as the red haired girl calmly put her hands together, fingers intersecting.

"Well, Yumi, I'd rather be confident and help these two, instead of making snide comments about their academic ability."

The Asian girl's chewing slowed, and Aelita held an unusually long glare, before resuming eating.

Odd and Ulrich traded looks, a shrug, and then quiet exhales as the table then resumed silence.

* * *

"Your girlfriend is out for blood dude."

"Yeah... I love it."

Ulrich stood next to Della Robbia, both of them brushing their teeth in the bathroom.

"She and Yumi sure like to argue."

"Aelita's not afraid to be pushy anymore."

"Well one day she's going to unleash her wrath somehow."

Odd cleaned his face with water, wiping it with a cloth.

"I've never seen Aelita get really mad. Furiously mad."

"You might not want to."

"The real question is, who would win the fight?"

Ulrich nodded slowly with amusement.

"Talk about the battle of the century."

"Aelita versus Yumi... Will the academy survive the ultimate catfight?"

Odd looked over as two other boys walking past gave them both funny looks, and he and Ulrich chuckled as they walked towards the door.

"I don't think Aelita has ever been a fight, come to think of it."

"You think she could hold her own?"

Stepping into the hallway, Odd put his finger to his chin.

"If she knows how to, maybe."

The boys then traded an alike thought through a look.

"We should have her practice Pencak Silat."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. That way she won't be defenseless in the future."

Ulrich smiled at the thought of being a tutor again. _For Aelita of all people..._

"After summer vacation?"

Odd nodded.

"Keep it in mind. We should ask her when we get back into the school year."

"You think she'd like it?"

"Worth a shot."

Pushing open their dormitory door, they separated in the darkness.

"Alright. Maybe you should join her so she feels more comfortable."

"Can do, good buddy."

"That way we can work on your ability too."

Met with a grunt, Ulrich smiled as he pulled back the sheets on his bed.

 _Odd and Aelita sparring... That's a funny picture._

* * *

William, hands in pockets, walked slowly alongside Yumi on a dark Parisian sidewalk.

"I... Guess the reason I've never done very well, is that nobody's taken the time to seriously help me."

"Nobody's going to do everything for you."

"I'm not expecting that. I just feel like, I dunno, my reputation works against me half the time."

"William, if you need help, you need to take the time to study. Ask a teacher or something. You know... Reach out."

His eyes wandered upwards.

"I hate feeling like I need help."

"Everybody needs it now and then."

Trading a look for several seconds, smiles lifted their mouths.

"Do you need help, Yumi?"

"Not with school. Life, maybe."

A chuckle left his mouth.

"Exactly the opposite. Life's fine, but school... Finals will be a disaster."

Yumi shook her head.

"It can't be that bad."

"Oh yes it can."

"Have you studied?"

Dreading those words, his head sank.

"Not a whole lot."

Mulling over the inevitable, Yumi sighed.

"Do you want to join me tomorrow?"

"Don't really have a choice by this point."

"Alright. But you have to actually read and write."

"I know... I can't pull an Odd."

Her nose wrinkled from the name, which William fully noticed.

"Are you going to take up Aelita's challenge?"

"I wish I could say no, but she's been real arrogant about her two pupils. Kinda want to make her eat her own words."

"You're going head to head against a superbrain?"

"Not exactly. She's dealing with two of the lousiest students at the academy. She has to work some kind of miracle."

Looking at his shaggy hair, her mouth moved.

 _Then again, you're not a star student either... Dammit._

"Think I can at least beat Ulrich?"

 _Hah. That would be funny as hell._

"We'll see what happens, Dunbar."

* * *

Jeremy looked over from his book after rubbing his eyes, seeing Natalia curled up on his bed, very much asleep.

Leaning over, his finger ran along a lock of her hair, and then his hand drifted to the open book, picking it up before it fell to the floor.

 _Study time... Now its bedtime. ***Yawn***_

Eyeing her chest as breaths filtered in and out of her lungs, he leaned back against the wall.

 _Don't even want to wake her. But its against the rules as always._

 _Oh Jim, the sleepovers you haven't noticed... Odd, Ulrich, even me._

Setting the books onto the carpet below, he slowly descended down onto the sheets, cuddling close to her and shutting his eyes, smiling as she shifted slightly, combining into an embrace.

 _Good night, sweetheart._


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: Google translate is your friend!)**

* * *

"...In the midst of the cell body, the nucleus holds chromosomes, and protects the Deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA for short, from wayward particles that could damage or alter it. In this state of protection within the nuclear envelope, replication of DNA and conversion into RNA can occur."

Ms. Hertz, pausing from writing all over the board, turned and looked over her class, eyebrow quirking as Odd and Ulrich quietly looked up and down from their notes, scribbling words with haste.

 _Huh. Boys taking notes? That's different..._

Giving them time to finish writing, she paused as both of them made eye contact with her, resulting in a brief nod.

 _Keep it up then._

"While different in nature, between plants and animals, Mitochondria and Chloroplasts both serve similar functions in self replication and respiration. Mitochondria generate energy through oxygen consumption, and are capable of binary fission, whereas, Chloroplasts use photosynthesis from sunlight to create glucose."

Looking over at Odd in particular, a smug smile slowly rose on his face as he wrote down more words.

 _Don't think I don't remember that day, Della Robbia. I still don't know how you pulled off that scientific anomaly... Maybe it was a clone and nobody's told me. I still can't believe I let him write on the board up here. Why on earth did he know so much about photosynthesis?_

"...Uh, anyway. Find your packets on the Metabolic process, and open to sheet four."

* * *

Aelita sat back in a chair with a German language book opened on her lap, listening vaguely as Odd and Ulrich conversed quietly back and forth.

 _Here I am thinking I had to teach them everything..._

"Ich habe ihm gesagt, dass es eine schlechte Idee."

Giving a moment for Aelita to comprehend, Ulrich smiled as she squinted.

"I told him... The idea was bad."

"Ja." He confirmed. "Und er tat es überhaupt?"

Odd eyed his girlfriend.

"And he did it... Anyway."

"Jawohl. Das nächste, was wir wussten, es fiel und zerbrach das Fenster."

Ulrich laughed in response, and Aelita flipped through several pages.

"The next thing we knew, it fell and broke... The window."

"He had to explain why the ladder was now halfway into the kitchen."

All three of them grinned from the story, and Aelita exhaled, closing the book.

"German is complex."

"Fräulein Aelita is not used to Deutsch." Ulrich remarked.

"How long have you know it, Herr Stern?"

"I was born in Deutschland, Prinzessin. Spoke it until I moved here to Paris."

Odd sat quietly, waiting until Aelita looked at him.

"Ich leibe dich."

A momentary blush and smile lifted her face.

"I love you too."

"Turteltauben..." Ulrich muttered, digging through his bag.

* * *

Jeremy sat dumbfounded as Odd and Ulrich conversed entirely in German during supper, and Aelita giggled endlessly as she picked up on bits and pieces of their conversation.

Noticing his and Natalia's blank expressions, Odd's eyebrows rose with mirth.

"Unsere armen Freunde... Sehen sehr verwirrt.."

"What did he say?"

Aelita propped her head on her arm.

"He says you guys look very confused."

"Ich denke, sie gehen..."

The boys traded a look.

"Bananen?"

"Ja!" Ulrich chuckled.

Jeremy corrected his glasses, trying to drown out the words as he ate.

 _Someone make it stop... Please._

William and Yumi strolled up together, and Ulrich furrowed his eyebrows with curiosity.

"Hier kommt der Dummkopf." He whispered

Trading a look with Aelita, Odd smiled as the three of them watched the pair sit down, presenting several notebooks alongside their food.

After a moment of seven people staring, Aelita inhaled, tongue in cheek.

"Was ist los?"

Yumi blinked.

What did you -

"Sie sind zusammen studieren?"

"Ja Ulrich, studieren zusammen."

William frowned as Yumi's mouth moved.

"Really...?"

"They've been speaking German all afternoon." Natalia sighed.

Hearing them break into snickers, William looked around.

"You guys are nuts."

"Nicht als Nüsse wie Sie!"

Ulrich and Odd howled with laughter, and Aelita sat content, cheeks rosy with mirth and barely containing a grin.

 _I think my boys have the language final in the bag._

* * *

Odd paced back and forth in the room, he and Ulrich both in their pajamas, with a clipboard sitting on the brunette's lap.

"Alright Ulrich, her eyes sparkle like... Tell me something that's shiny."

"The sun... Uhh, die Sonne?"

"Nein. If you can see the sun sparkle, you're going blind."

Ulrich furrowed his eyes.

"Sparkle... Wie eine alpine Fluss."

"Like an... Alpine river?"

"Yeah. Ja."

"Sounds nice, but..."

Odd started shaking his head.

"Nein, nein, nein Ulrich. That sounds like she's crying."

"Crying happy tears?"

"Nein! Emily's eyes makes you think of crying? That makes you sound like a weinerschnitzel! That's not romantic!"

Ulrich huffed.

"Ich bin nicht eine weinerschnitzel."

Odd paused, breaking into laughter from his statement.

"Yes you are!"

"Anyway..." He growled, attempting to remain serious. "...Lets think of something other than sparkling eyes."

Jim Morales patrolled the hallway, hands behind his back. Passing Ulrich and Odd's dormitory, he paused from the words spoken inside.

"You guys complain about German when Italian is way harder."

"Half of it is Latin, right?"

"No. That's... No Odd."

"Tu non semplicemente capire!"

"Yeah, well, you... Sei un imbecille."

"Hah! At least you can insult people in Italian."

"Everybody knows how to insult in another language."

"Dummkopf."

"Blockhead."

"Weinerschnitzel!"

"...Coglione."

Jim banged his fist on their door several times.

"That's enough you two! Find something else to talk about!"

"Sorry Jim!"

Turning and walking a few steps away, Jim then paused in silence, listening.

"Nice going."

"You started it."

"And I'll finish it. We'll work more on the poems tomorrow."

"Fine."

Huffing, Jim then walked further down the hall.

Stern and Della Robbia have the strangest friendship...

* * *

 **Wednesday afternoon...**

"I can't believe this is our last study period before the finals."

"The calm before the storm." Odd remarked, walking hand-in-hand with Aelita and trailed by Ulrich and Emily, who joined them the day before.

"At least you two can finally say you're ready this time." She breathed, pausing as Odd opened the library doors.

Emily smiled at Ulrich as he held the door open for her, and then continued inside, drifting over to their usual corner spot.

Dropping bags and sitting against the wall, notebooks were opened, and in moments, the two couples begun reviewing notes quietly.

"Odd, you have the story draft right?"

"Right... Here."

Both of the girl's attentions were drawn to dozens of lines of handwriting on several sheets of paper.

"A story?"

"Yes, uhh, its a summary of the history notes."

"Its about how Napoleon III contracts Henry Bessemer for steel production with the new Bessemer converter, for use in manufacturing weapons in the ongoing Crimean War... Between the Allies and Russia, of course."

Odd's finger rose proudly after the statement, and Ulrich handed the sheets to Emily, who swiftly began reading.

Aelita slowly gripped Odd's hand, feeling a bubble of elation inside as she eyed him proudly.

 _Victory was finally at hand._

* * *

"...So then the mitochondria cells are ready to beat the bacteria up after stealing their energy, and -."

Odd paused, head rising as the library doors opened, and Jeremy, Natalia, William and Yumi all entered, drawing the others attentions to the newly entering group.

"Looks like we've got company."

Several mildly smug looks were traded as the other group unknowingly sat down at the row of tables, only thirty feet away.

"Anyone thinking what I'm thinking?"

Withdrawing several empty sheets of paper, Aelita then nodded as she handed them to Odd, with Emily giving up lined paper to Ulrich as well.

"Way ahead of you."

Deep in reading review, and in William's case, drowsy boredom, the group sat in silence at the table.

Then, with a small ***piff*** a paper airplane landed and slid to a halt atop several papers.

All four heads rose and eyed the folded craft, and the precise construction produced only one name, causing their heads to turn to the source.

A moment of eight people awkwardly staring at each other began and ended, and expressions varied as Jeremy slowly reached out, noticing writing upon its wings.

With ginger unfolding, he then preened the paper flat onto the table, and all eyes pored over the four different sets of handwriting.

"What..."

"Its a poem."

 _At year's end, a lackadaisy trend,_

 _Was replaced through patience and love;_

 _So to those who said it couldn't be so,_

 _Better hope you've got all that you'll owe._

Jeremy's mouth moved, and Yumi's head sat upon her hand.

"I can't wait to be gone for the summer."

"I think all four of them wrote it." Natalia whispered.

William looked over, eyebrows furrowing at Ulrich when he shook his head back and forth.

"They sure are serious about that bet."

"Odd's just trying to beat me at something."

"And Ulrich's being pig headed... Course he's got Emily by his side."

Natalia shuddered slightly at Yumi's sneer.

 _Yeesh, jealous much?_

William's head turned, and the Asian girl's glare softened when his hand set upon hers.

"You don't need him, Yumi. If he bothers you that much, then don't think about him."

Eyeing the boy, she slowly nodded.

"Don't dwell on the th-."

He paused suddenly when an object landed in his hair.

Hand reaching up, he retrieved a neatly folded paper football, and immediately balled up a sheet of paper, launching it at the others with a grunt as they giggled in the distance.

Disgruntled, his mouth opened, only to shut as the same paper ball bounced off his notebook.

Rolling his eyes, his hand found a stack of sticky notes, and after lobbing them, a rush of gasps and giggles followed as the object struck the wall above their heads.

A minute passed, and then the stack of sticky notes, now sporting a goofy face drawn on the top, skittered across their binders, landing nearby.

Growing impatient, William grabbed a nearby pen, but just as he stood up, the library doors opened, and Jim Morales strolled in.

Nearly caught in the act, he slowly sat down, and a hush of silence fell over the area as Jim slowly walked around, inspecting the study groups scattered through the room.

 _No trouble this time... I'm surprised._

"Right. If anybody has ANY questions on the finals tomorrow and Friday, please feel free to ask me! I once was a member of the exam creation team on the national board of education."

"Hey Jim, can you tell us about it?"

The man paused from the unknown voice.

"The board?"

"Yeah."

Nearly every student in the room rolled their eyes at the next statement.

"Normally yes, but you all are studying so no, I'd rather not talk about it."

* * *

Minutes after the library's closure for the evening, Odd, Ulrich, Aelita and Emily all strolled to the cafeteria together, finally lacking binders and notebooks.

"My brain hurts."

"There's smoke coming out of your ears Odd."

Emily giggled at Ulrich's statement, and the blonde smelled the air.

"I can believe it." He remarked, smiling as Aelita squeezed his hand tighter.

"Doesn't it feel good to be ready?"

His eyebrow quirked with interest.

"Ive always been ready."

Ulrich cracked up as Aelita blushed.

"She's talking about the finals, bud."

"So am I!" The blonde piped up, grinning as Aelita rolled her eyes from the innuendo.

 _Or are you?_

She glanced away for a moment.

 _Now I'm wondering what summer has in store, actually..._

Her eyebrow quirked, and her heart sped up.

 _I wonder what he has planned...?_

* * *

Stepping inside, and collecting food with haste, Odd suddenly halted, picking an alternate table to sit at.

For a moment, Ulrich surveyed their usual table, which was visibly lacking in spare chairs, and he grunted as he sat down alongside Emily.

"Hopefully summer vacation makes them blow off some steam."

Aelita picked up her utensils.

"I think the finals are making everyone stressed."

"Among other things." Emily noted.

Odd and Ulrich traded smiles.

"I really can't wait to see if Yumi is trying to make little Willy pass."

Aelita produced a laugh through her nose at the nickname.

"What happens if he does?"

"I'll be impressed."

* * *

Closing their bedroom door, Odd brought his mouth close to the jam.

"I'll be back in five minutes Ulrich."

"Yeah right."

Grinning from the muffled reply, he turned and walked alongside Aelita, both in their pajamas, down the hallway and up the stairs to the girl's hallway.

In a matter of seconds they slipped inside her room, and sat side by side on her bed, reclining against the wall together.

"Crazy how its already the end of the year."

"Tenth grade, gone by in a snap."

"Can you believe we've been dating almost three months already?"

His heart stirred.

"Yes, I can."

Squeezing her hand, she exhaled with a blush.

"It feels so easy."

"We've been best friends for years. It should be easy."

A smile lifted as the words danced through her head again.

Their eyes met and light, tender breaths passed back and forth as their gaze held each other still.

"I love you."

Relishing in his spoken words, she bashfully shut her eyes.

"And I love you."

Odd's head tilted, giddy with admiration.

 _I'll never get tired of hearing that._

Looking beyond towards her alarm clock, and then the books and binders surrounding her computer, he then paused in contemplation.

"Aelita."

Her eyes flitted back up to him.

"I want to thank you for helping me study... I just really hope I do well on the finals."

Her face illuminated with pride.

"Ohhh Odd, I know you will. You just need need to play it cool, and stay focused in here."

Her hand reached up pushed into his hair, and then her fingers slowly drifted down, dragging along his chin.

"I know you're smarter than you think you are, it just takes inspiration and drive to get you going... Those stories you and Ulrich came up with are amazing. Just think about the creative side of your notes, and the rest will be easy."

His heart raced with excitement.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Besides... I can't go on seeing you flunk another year. Saving my life is your duty, and saving your academics is mine."

"You save my life too."

She produced a wink.

"All part of the job, Prince Odd."

Responding with a chuckle, he exhaled, brimming with anticipation.

"I don't even feel tired."

"Me neither."

Looking at the ceiling, he bit his lip.

"Crammed everything into my head, and now I'm feeling excited and scared as all hell."

His attention instantly went to her hand drifting along his leg.

"Yeah...?"

Her voice, expression, and drifting fingers swirled into an instant turn-on as his eyebrows rose.

"Yeah. But its not the first time I've felt that way."

Her hand drifted up along his waist, tucking under his T-shirt, and drifting up along his chest.

"Me neither." She whispered, watching him with fascination as further conversation drifted away, her face nearing his as she slowly knelt over him.

Blushing at first, his hands found their way underneath her oversized T shirt, and carefully settled upon her sides, his thumbs slowly drifting down along her hips.

Hearts raced, producing excited breaths of arousal, and Odd leaned forward, pressing a light kiss up into her neck.

 _Ohhhh you sexy f-_

Her hands touched his face, and in an instant, they collided together in passionate liplock, curling arms and hands around each others backs, gripping hair and skin interchangeably.

 _Sure hope this is what summer brings... And lots of it._

* * *

Ulrich looked at the time, shaking his head.

 _Five minutes, huh? Blockhead. Every time he goes up there to say goodnight to Aelita, they end up kissing for a half hour. I bet he's already hit home run and hasn't told me. Damn lovebirds can't keep off each other... Sure wouldn't be surprised._

Rolling over in his sheets, he stared at the empty bed a few feet away.

 _Kinda wonder what they're planning on doing over the summer... Too bad Emily's going home for the summer, or I'd hang out with her._

Sighing in a shudder of anticipation, he shut his eyes.

 _Can't wait to get out of here. Just have the damn finals first._

* * *

Jeremy stared at the screensaver on his computer monitor in abject boredom.

 _I love how nobody bothers to study all year, and a week before the end of the final semester, they try and pull it all together. Bet they're going mad. Cramming never works. Someday they'll figure out they can't flunk forever. I don't even understand how none of them are held back into remedial classes._

Blinking slowly, a breath drifted from his nostrils.

 _Sure hope Xana doesn't try anything over vacation. He's been good about it for two years now._ _Maybe its no fun when we aren't around to fight back._

 _Yeah. Sure Jeremy. Delude yourself further. Its only been weeks since the last attack. He must be up to something. I should keep working on that emulation function. Maybe that can keep him at bay while we're gone. That'd be handy._

Glancing at the clock, he grimaced, forcing his eyes shut.

 _Bedtime._


	10. Chapter 10

**Thursday.**

* * *

A thick blanket of dread and anticipation hung over the academy as students talked of nothing but summer, and the four tests in the way of freedom.

Fresh out of the cafeteria, Odd, Ulrich, Aelita and Emily walked down a hallway among dozens of others, slowly marching to their scholarly fates.

Per the usual, Jim Morales stood at the distant doorway into the testing room, confiscating bags with an unwavering smirk as students slowly filtered inside.

"Find your names on the tables. They're arranged by the alphabet, so those of you with last names starting with X, Y or Z, do NOT sit in the A, B and C spots!"

Odd put his hand to his chin as they neared him.

"Does that mean I sit in the Q spot Jim?"

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head at the blonde.

"Very funny Della Robbia. You'll be in the front row with D."

"But my last name is both D and R, can't I sit in both?"

"No! You'll be sitting in R only."

"But you said I was in D!"

"I, well, uhh... Just pick one, I don't care!"

Stepping inside the room with a cheeky grin, Odd followed Aelita to her seat, spotting his own two chairs away.

"I figured it was R."

"And yours is Stones, and Ulrich..."

The brunette produced a laugh, realizing he sat between Odd and Aelita.

"I'm amazed they arranged it like this."

"Robbia, Stern, Stones. Perfect."

Watching the room swiftly fill up with the student body, Jeremy and Natalia appeared far up in the front row, and Emily sat somewhere in the middle, giving Ulrich a smile after a moment.

Noticing this, Odd traded a look with Aelita, and folded his arms onto the table.

"You gonna date her over the summer?"

"She's going back home the whole time. Wish I could."

"You should write to her."

The brunette smiled at the thought.

"Only if she can respond."

Looking at Odd, he sighed.

 _I know she will if she can._

All eyes went up the front as Mrs. Meyer and Mr. Fumet appeared, handing out packets of paper to the front row, and watching as they were steadily passed back further.

"Welcome to day one of your final exams. Today we will begin with Algebra II, followed by a half hour break, and then Social Studies. After the exams, you are allowed to leave for the day and return to your dormitories if you wish."

"Tomorrow will host the final two exams, Foreign Language and Biology. Remember well what you all have learned this year. After the test we will grade your exams tonight and tomorrow morning, and will post the results the following afternoon."

Jim strolled along the rows, passing out pencils.

"Mister Morales here will collect your exams once you are finished. If you have any questions or need to use the restroom, raise your hands at any time. "

Receiving the sheets of paper, Odd and Ulrich both exhaled heavily, trading a glance.

 _Math, Algebra... This suddenly became a whole lot harder than expected._

All eyes kept on the clock as the minute hand crept onto 8am.

"You may begin!"

Dozens of sheets of paper flew open, and Odd squinted at the first sets of algebraic equations.

Resisting the impulse to look at Ulrich's test, he chewed his lip, listening as Aelita's pencil worked out magic upon the paper at a blisteringly fast pace.

His heart beat hard, and he slowly began on the first problem.

 _Variables, hmm..._

Stealing a hidden glance at Aelita, he marveled the determination in her face.

 _So smart, and so lovely. How do you do it?_

Turning back down to the sheet, a breath parted his lips.

 _I can't fail this. I promised I wouldn't. Let's see, P.E.M.D.A.S., right? Parenthesis, exponents... Multiplication..._

* * *

Jeremy swiftly worked through the packet, contemplating pausing after he realized he was halfway through the exam in forty minutes.

 _Maybe I should request Trigonometry next year... Miss Meyer here would love that. She knows I'm more than competent enough for it._

Resting his head upon his arm, his fingers slowly finished another equation.

 _I wonder how Natalia is doing. She's a good student, can't be too hard for her either._

His pencil turned and slowly descended onto the table.

 _I wonder where she's going over the summer? Gonna be rough sitting at home without her by my side._

 _Sigh. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?_

* * *

Sissi sat silently, slogging through the exam with hardly any motivation.

 _Who even uses Algebra in the real world? Nobody's ever explained that. They either say everybody, or nobody._

 _Ugh. Eleventh grade in three months, and another round of this nightmare at the end of that! Who organizes this torture? Only someone who takes pleasure in pain and boredom._

Her eyes rose to the trio of adults at the front of the room.

 _Yep. Can't trust a single one of them, can we? They're all in on it. I should have known by now._

Directing her eyes to the window nearby, she sighed.

 _This whole year has been nothing but madness. Stupid, wacky madness. Della Robbia and Stones dating, Belpois and that new girl, and of course Ulrich dear falling all over Emily..._

 _I can't figure out which of the three pairs are more obnoxious!_

* * *

William stared at the faded, copied ink printed onto the paper, with pencil scribbles under each equation.

 _I hate this. Of course I had to get caught up in some competition... And now I'm stuck with this exam, feeling like I should excel when I know I'll just fail._

 _Yumi will be disappointed if I fail... But I've never been good with tests._

 _Ugh._

His pencil tapped onto the paper quietly.

 _I hate this._

* * *

Emily sat still, mind wandering off into space at the last sheet of paper.

 _I wish I wasn't leaving for the summer... Ulrich will miss me._

Her heart sped up slightly.

 _I'll miss him more. All the way out in Nantes. He must be going to Germany anyway._

 ***Sigh***

Both students surrounding her paused from her dainty exhale, and she blushed slightly.

 _How much time is left... Twenty three minutes? Back to work._

* * *

Aelita sat back, done and bored, her eyes wandering around the room.

 _Quarter till ten, and Ulrich and Odd are... Almost done. Good._

She peered around Ulrich discreetly, seeing his and Odd's exams riddled with pencil scrawls and eraser shavings, causing a smile to lift her otherwise bored expression.

 _Can't wait to see how they do. I've never seen Odd try this hard. Especially with Algebra._

 _Keep going boys, it'll be over soon._

* * *

Jim's large hands slammed together, startling everyone in the room.

"Test one is over! Turn over your exams and wait for me to collect them!"

Sidling left and right through the rows, he plucked each packet from their desks, pausing in front of Odd as always.

"Della Robbia, I'm surprised."

"Me too Jim." He breathed.

Apprehensively picking up the blonde's test, he continued with a disappointed huff, and both Ulrich and Aelita tried to retain grins.

"You've been throwing everybody off lately."

Odd sat back, crossing his arms victoriously.

"One down, three to go."

"How do you both feel?"

The boys eyed Aelita with interest.

"Slightly brain-dead, but I think that was the hardest exam."

"The rest should be smooth sailing after this."

One unusually short half hour later, another series of packets were passed out, but this time, the trio towards the back of the room were brimming with anticipation.

Odd received his packet, and slowly smiled as he read the main topics on the front page.

"1850s history."

Trading glances, three separate nods were produced as they waited for the clock to strike 10:30.

"You may begin!"

Tearing open the front pages, recent memories of studying filtered through their minds, and Aelita watched confidently as the boy's pencils churned into motion.

Looking at her own, she squinted at the first set of questions, remembering the story the boys had created days earlier.

 _In the 1850s, Napoleon III, leader of France in the... Second Republic, saw the need for steel for weaponry in the ongoing Crimean war, and he sent a man to... Henry Bessemer, who invented the Bessemer converter that... Burned impurities out of iron, creating harder, better steel._

Pages turned in swift succession, and she could tell by the look upon Ulrich's face, that he too was reciting the story in his head.

 _Ohh, you boys are geniuses._

* * *

Natalia watched words appear behind her pencil as she swiftly put down individual sentences.

 _Artillery shells, photography... First railway used in conflict... Modern innovations seem to spring out of warfare more often than in peace._

Her head tilted back, and her eyes followed lines on the ceiling for a few seconds.

 _Oh, human nature. Always in competitive conflict._

Stealing a glance at Jeremy, a small smile bloomed on her features.

 _I wonder if he'll win the bet tomorrow..._

* * *

Yumi worked through the exam in an unstoppable machine-like pace, her mind working and stewing over recent events.

 _I can't wait to escape back to Japan... Get a mental break from this place. All I know is that if I have to keep seeing Ulrich with Emily, I'm going to scream. And this stupid bet, with Odd and Aelita being so... Ugh._

 _My nerves are fried. And not even because of Xana_. _Hope you guys can manage without me for a while, because I'll be gone. For six lovely weeks._

Looking forward, she spied William's dark, messy hair, and a thought arose in her head.

 _Dunbar... He's always hanging around. Hmm. I'd bet he'd be all over going somewhere with me. Coffee, a movie..._

Her heart stirred.

 _I've never even given him a chance, have I? Maybe its time for a little change then. Ulrich won't care since he's busy with Emily._

 _Why should I care how he feels anyway?_

* * *

"Test two is over! Remain in your seats until all exams are collected, then you can be dismissed."

Ulrich sat back, watching the pencil in Odd's hand twirl back and forth as a low commotion of stretching and movement began in the room.

"How do you feel?"

Odd smiled, dropping the pencil onto the desk as Jim approached.

"That felt much easier than before."

"Thanks to our story, I think it was."

Looking at Aelita, her head tilted.

"A little creativity goes a long ways."

"So do a couple hours of forced studying."

Trading grins and stuck out tongues as they stood from their chairs, the trio slowly filtered through the doorway as the room full of tenth graders began to empty.

"Now we just have to wait another twenty hours for another round."

* * *

Odd, Aelita, Ulrich and Emily walked as a quartet into the trees bordering the Academy, disappearing into a refreshing world of afternoon greenery after four and a half hours inside the same classroom.

"Can you believe we're a day away from summer vacation?"

"What are your plans, Odd?"

Looking at Ulrich, and then at Aelita, his face turned pensive.

"I think my parents were intending on going to their cottage in Montpellier."

"Where's that?"

A smile of memory brought his eyes to the sky above the leaves.

"The south coast."

"Lucky." Emily interjected. "I'm going to Nantes."

Ulrich blinked.

"You guys act like those places aren't even interesting. I'll be going back home to Berlin with my parents. I can't even figure out if that's good or bad."

"Berlin can't be that bad. We live in Paris. they're more or less the same right?"

"No Odd, Berlin is completely different. Much busier."

Aelita listened with fascination, imagining different cities.

"What about you, Aelita?"

Stopping with everybody else, her mouth opened from Emily's query.

"I uhh, I've been somewhere in the mountains. I remember snow, and a cabin, but..."

Looking at Odd with unexpected desperation, he collected both of her hands.

"The Alps. With her parents. But you were young then."

Heart throbbing from limited memory of her parents, she sighed sadly.

"Yeah... I wish I remembered more about it."

Her face lifted from Odd's gentle expression, and they both sat down in the grass, watching as Ulrich started stepping back and forth in a slow dance with Emily.

"Need some classical music there?"

"Everybody needs classical music sometime. Orchestral melodies, for an elegant ball..."

Ulrich grinned from Emily's daydreaming as her hair slowly drifted back and forth, and Odd leaned back against the tree behind, accepting Aelita into an embrace as she snuggled up in front of him.

"Where's Claude Debussy when you need him?"

"He's out writing another movement for Clair De Lune."

Aelita's eyes drifted shut as Odd kissed her neck, chin and cheek, pushing his nose into her hair and breathing in happily.

Fingers curled together, and their arms wrapped tighter around her, prompting her to kick off her boots and produce an exhale as a breeze drifted through the area, shaking leaves, and tossing locks of her hair back and forth as her feet were tickled by the fresh air.

Odd's chin rested upon her hair after she lay her head back onto his collarbone, and their eyes met, exchanging strong throbs of admiration.

"Have I told you that I love you...?"

A small laugh escaped her nose.

"I do believe you have."

Kissing the top of her head, he rested his head, shutting his own eyes.

"Just making sure."

* * *

A few minutes of hidden whispers and dozing later, branches of leaves shook, and scrapes of shoes on bark opened the pair's eyes, leading them up to Ulrich and Emily, both perched in the upper branches of a nearby tree.

"Hello down there." Ulrich offered.

Odd's eyes narrowed for a moment.

"This reminds me of a song."

"What kind of song?" Aelita spoke.

"Ulrich, and Emily, sitting in a tree."

Seeing their eyes roll, Aelita smiled and joined in.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

A branch snapped, and Aelita shut her eyes with a squeal as a small cluster of leaves fell from the tree, plopping directly onto Odd's face.

"Direct hit." Emily giggled.

Odd turned his head and blew a breath, watching as the leaves were cast aside.

"My dear Aelita, for once this is a war I cannot win."

"Why's that, commander?"

"Laziness, and a complete lack of ammunition."

"Alas." She sighed.

"...But those who fight and run away, live to fight another day."

"Don't confuse nobility with cowardice, Odd."

Wrinkling his nose at Ulrich, he shut his eyes contently.

"A good soldier is worthless if he's dead."

Ulrich and Emily sat back against the tree trunk of separate branches, each with a hand suspended together between them in the open air.

"How long have you and Odd been friends?"

"Since eighth grade. Was a little rocky from the start though."

Below, a hidden smile appeared on Odd's face.

"Why?"

"We were put together in the same dormitory. Living with Odd is, well, interesting."

"Try dating him."

"I'd rather not."

A grin lifted both of their faces.

"Was only a week anyway."

"That was when he was also dating everyone else in eighth grade."

"Besides Aelita?"

"She and Jeremy... Well, they were kind of a thing. They started growing apart towards the end of ninth grade, I think."

"So now she's with Odd?"

"Since March-ish. They've been going out for, what, two months now."

"You think they're happy together?"

Ulrich watched an airplane fly across a gap between the leaves above.

"Can't you tell?"

"Yeah, but, do you find it weird that they're both..."

He shook his head, anticipating the coming words.

"Nobody bothered to tell everyone that they aren't blood related. A hundreds years ago it wouldn't be weird at all."

Emily looked down at them, admiring the calm and warmth that seemed to radiate from the pair.

"I think some people get easily offended and make a big deal out of it. But they don't care. They're just happy, and that's all that matters."

Ulrich sat quietly, reflecting upon his own words.

 _I hope you two are listening down there._

"I mean, at first, I was a little shocked too. They always got along as best friends, but I think I was used to the superbrains being together."

"Superbrains." She echoed.

"Yeah. Too much smartness at once. I think Aelita started wanting fun and spontaneous adventure, but was afraid to end it with Jeremy. That was when Odd finally jumped in. He was fun and different, but Jeremy was not."

"Let me guess, Odd became everything she wanted in a boy...?"

"Sort of. He's always been protective, and she's a fragile person inside. He keeps her safe and entertained, and she keeps him focused."

"On herself?"

"And school, life... I know he used to be a player, but that was eighth grade. Even now that's just goofy middle school romance. We're all still finding our way, right?"

Reflecting on her own brief stint dating Odd, Emily's mouth moved.

"I don't know what it is about Aelita, but he's obsessed with her. I think because she's so different. They'd might as well be in a storybook romance by this point."

A laugh escaped her lungs.

"Driven by destiny?"

"He does call her princess."

"That's almost adorable."

"Everybody has their names for people."

"What would you call me?"

Ulrich blushed at the curveball query.

"I uhh, I don't know."

She gripped his hand tighter, eyeing him with sweet curiosity.

"You don't know?"

His lips moved.

"Well, for starters, I guess I wouldn't mind calling you my girlfriend."

 _You idiot, that was the dumbest thing you have ever said to her, why the hell did you think it would be clever to say -_

Looking at her bashfully, his blush increased from the raise of her eyebrow.

 _I'm ruined._

"I wouldn't mind either."

Meeting her eyes with his own, his mind formed new words as the clouds lifted inside.

"Emily, do you think I could write to you over the summer?"

Her eyes fluttered as they closed, heart beating.

 _I hoped you would say that..._

"Of course."


	11. Chapter 11

**Friday.**

* * *

An identical scene to the day before began inside the science building, with the entirety of the academy's tenth grade awaiting exam three of the finals.

With the school year so close to ending, it was difficult for many to even sit still. Hungry eyes stared at the clock as it slowly worked towards 8am, intent on revenge for forcing one more early rising for the school day.

Mr. Fumet cleared his throat, and a majority of the low commotion ceased.

"As stated yesterday, exams three and four cover Biology and Foreign Language. Once the exams are over, you are again free to return to your dormitories while we grade them. Results will be announced tomorrow morning."

"Do we have to stay on the school grounds?"

"Only if you want to."

Seeing several sinister plots unfolding in the student body's eyes, Jim stepped forward.

"However, keep in mind that the RULES here still apply since it is still a school day. I don't want any trouble from a single one of you, understand?"

Hearing reluctant sighs of agreeance, he folded his arms confidently as Mrs. Meyer handed out the packets of the Biology exam.

"At ten, we will take another half hour break. If you need the restroom at any time, please raise your hand."

Theo Gauthier slowly lifted his hand, and a rise of light laughter filled the air as the teachers both gave him funny looks.

"...At any time _AFTER_ the exam begins." Jim added gruffly.

* * *

 _Heh. Photosynthesis. I hope Mrs. Hertz is the one that gets to grade mine._

Odd's hand swiftly filled empty lines under diagrams of plant cells.

 _All these years of bumbling along, and here I am, having actually kind of studied._

An image of Aelita deep into a textbook filtered into his mind's eye, and he reveled the scene, having previously admired her in this manner.

 _She loves reading... I need to set her loose on some of my mom's novels. She'd be lost for hours._

 _I bet she'd love that._

* * *

 _Of course we're going all the way to Berlin. Why can't we go to Frankfurt or not even leave France at all?_

Ulrich sighed inside, holding his head up with his arm as he turned another page of the Biology exam.

 _Someday they need to let ME choose where we are spending the summer. Berlin is noisy and busy. We have that here in Paris already. Can't we go to the coast somewhere? Kiel maybe?_

 _Dammit. Of course Odd gets to run off to Montpellier and sunbathe on the beach. Emily is going to Nantes, and I'm sure Yumi is dragging her grumpy butt back to Japan._

 _I wonder what Aelita's going to do for the summer? I bet she's getting tired of being left behind here at the academy. Odd should figure out something for her. Maybe he already has._

* * *

Aelita turned her exam over and set her pencil onto it, sighing with boredom.

Looking over at Odd, an earlier thought bloomed in her head.

 _Alright boyfriend, you said you had something in mind for the summer... But what could it be? Earlier he said he might go to Montpellier. Wherever that is. Down south with his mother and father. Did he intend to bring me with? He has to. He hates going places without me, especially somewhere new._

Her heart beat with excitement from the possibility.

 _I bet he's already got it all arranged. But, wait, I haven't even met his parents yet! And he says he has four... Five sisters? Are they coming too?_

 _Ohhh this is going to be crazy if this is what he has planned. Is this what you have planned, Odd?_

Seeing him turn his head and offer a smile, she blushed.

 _Heeheee I think it is! I might finally have a summer away from school... How lovely!_

* * *

Nicholas sat, staring unhappily at the packet.

 _Biology, Bi-shmology._

Breathing a sigh, he looked over the open page, eyeing a picture of a cell wall.

 _You know what they say... Turn that frown upside down._

His pencil began drawing goofy little faces onto each blob, and a smile worked its way onto his cheeks as an army of little friends began to appear on the picture.

 _That's better._

* * *

Herb watched, unimpressed, as Nicholas doodled on his exam.

 _You idiot, you're supposed to write on the lines, not draw on the pictures..._

 _Sigh, I don't understand how you, or anybody else, never seem to get held back. I bet they just want the morons through the system and out the door here as soon as possible. Take the money and keep them coming._

 _Sissi's right. The whole thing is rigged. They're only tolerant of the idiots because their parents fork over thousands of euros._

 _Everybody's following the money... It never changes. Neither does Poliakoff here. He's going to fail again for sure._

 _Idiot._

* * *

"You may begin!"

Two hours later, the fourth and final exam flew open across the tables, and a fury of pencil scribbles filled the air as a variety of German and Italian words began filling the lines.

Ulrich smiled, knowing he had a surprise poem in store for Emily, having been in creation stages for the entire week beforehand.

 _I hope Emily knows a little German. Even if she doesn't, curiosity will make her translate it._

 _She'll love it. I know it. It'll be a perfect way to start off the letter conversation._

 _Let's see, 'Das ist sehr gut'... I should write down my address._

 _I wish I was going to Nantes with her. I wonder what kind of fun we could have together?_

 _Sigh. Why Berlin?_

* * *

Odd worked through the Italian segment of the language exam with gusto, being very familiar with Italian as a second language thanks to his parents.

Reaching a creative writing page with numerous empty lines, his heart raced at the opportunity.

'Write several sentences using proper punctuation in Italian.'

 _Let's see here..._

 _Vedo nei tuoi occhi quando si guarda a me, un luogo di verde senza fine. Frizzante, e pieno d'amore, saranno sempre farmi sognare._

His face curled into a grin.

 _Man. She'd love this._

* * *

Jim watched with slight suspicion as several dozen eyes watched his hands come together in a clap, with not a single flinch resulting.

"Uhh, test four is over! Once I collect them, you are all free to go."

 _Damn kids look like hungry wolves. I don't like this..._

Walking through the aisles, expressions were traded, and after a mutual moment of accomplishment, a flurry of standing and leaving began as students raced for their backpacks piled in the nearby hallway.

Within seconds, the three adults in the room stood perplexed as the student body was completely absent.

"While I hate to admit it, I remember what this was like."

Mr. Fumet sat back against a table.

"I feel old."

Watching Jim set the stack of packets onto the front desk, Mrs. Meyer sighed.

"Anyone want a bottle of wine after grading?"

"Uhh, yes."

"Count me in."

* * *

Odd and Ulrich smashed together several high fives as they walked across the courtyard, towards the forest grove with Aelita and Emily in tow.

With finals, and now lunch out of the way, a limited amount of time remained until results were posted, and their parents arrived to pick them all up.

"I feel good. Like stupid good. I think for once, the brain breaking was worth it."

"I just hope I'm not being too optimistic."

Ulrich was shoved simultaneously by all three of them.

"No party pooping, mister grump."

"Mister grouch to you."

Odd produced a goofy face in response, and then sauntered away to avoid being shoved back, towing Aelita along in a suddenly spree of energy as they both giggled, drifting around trees.

Then, the blonde's cell phone began ringing, and he drew to a halt.

"It's my parents."

Putting the phone to his ear, his mouth opened.

"Hey Mom! Hi dad."

"Yeah, we're done with finals. My girlfriend Aelita was a super duper helper. Way smarter than me. She helped me and Ulrich study."

"No, they'll have the results tomm... What? ...About that, remember what I said about her coming al... Oh."

A grin slowly grew on his cheeks from Aelita's excited expression.

"Okay, so now that dad's doing that, you're not... Mom. _Mom!_ Uhh, would it be alright if it was just me and her?"

"...Hey, I've lived here at Kadic on my own, I think I can handle it... Yes, I know where the key is."

His eyes widened.

"Really? Are you sure its okay? Obviously you have to meet... Yeah. She's a real sweetheart. Don't worry."

"Alright! Love you both!"

Pocketing his phone again, he turned and held both of Aelita's hands, both of them brimming with excitement.

"What's the news?"

"My father was called into another contract, so he's going to that instead of the cottage. His work takes priority over vacation, so my mom said we can both go instead, after she meets you."

Her face lit up immensely.

"You mean it? I'm going with you?"

"Yes, silly!"

"Yaayyy!" She chirped, launching herself into him in a massive hug.

"We should be leaving tomorrow afternoon or so, so make sure you have a bag packed."

Giggles arose as they turned back and forth, arms squeezing each other tight.

"What happened over here?"

Looking over at Ulrich, Aelita sighed happily.

"My parents changed plans, so they're letting Aelita and I go to the cottage. My dad landed another job so he'll be busy."

"Sounds like fun."

"I can't wait! I've never even seen the ocean."

"You guys leaving tomorrow?"

"I think just about everybody is." Emily noted.

"Two months until 11th grade. That'll be something."

Three out of four teens then traded a cautious look.

 _Two months away from the supercomputer. If Xana doesn't do anything, that'll be something, too._

* * *

 **Saturday morning.**

Odd and Ulrich both sat upright in their beds as their door flew open, seeing Aelita standing just beyond, looking almost evil with confidence.

"Morning princess."

"You boys ready to see your results?"

"Not really."

Wrinkling her nose at Ulrich, she stepped inside, turning around the chair at their desk and sitting on it.

"I think you are, Ulrich."

"Let me guess, some good and some bad. Where have I heard that one before?"

Looking over at Odd, a tired smile lifted his features after he stretched his arms, and Kiwi hopped off the bed, shaking himself for a few seconds, before stepping over and sitting by Aelita's leg, earning him a pet on the head.

"Guess I'd better have the money ready."

Ulrich shook his head.

"I bet Jeremy didn't need a reminder."

"We've probably been haunting him pretty well. I think Aelita's determination is starting to scare him."

A giggle left her nose from the thought.

"I wonder how he'll react if he does end up paying Odd. Knowing him, he'll never want to set a bet again."

"At least if I fail, it won't be any different from the past."

Both Aelita and Ulrich furrowed their eyebrows at him.

"How can you possibly fail this time? That would mean I'd fail too. We both studied the same."

"Neither of you are going to fail." Aelita concluded, standing to her feet again. "Just be patient and we'll see how you did. Hurry up and get to breakfast before I turn into a pumpkin from waiting."

Odd sped into motion amidst laughter, pulling on a fresh change of clothing from his suitcase as the door shut.

"...She does sound like you."

"Its hard not to be inspired by the Della Robbia side."

"Yeah right. She's just used to your jokes."

"And you aren't?"

"Oh I am. I just ignore half of them."

Sticking his tongue out, Odd zipped the bag shut, and sauntered out to the hallway, towards the bathroom.

"Last one to the cafeteria starves!"

* * *

Heavy commotion and ruckus filled the dining area, with Jim absent from a rumored hangover, as students stuffed their faces and chattered on cell phones to incoming parents.

Breakfast already finished, Odd and Aelita sat back, eyeing their surroundings with smug, full-belly grins, their hands clasped together and mingling slowly.

Ulrich sat, head propped on his arm, daydreaming about the poem he had written for Emily, which sat locked and loaded in his pants pocket.

 _Just have to find her before she leaves..._

The three of them then watched as Jeremy and Natalia sheepishly sidled through the commotion, sitting at their table, and then blinking as three pairs of wolflike eyes inspected them.

"So, last day of 10th grade."

"Yup."

"Guess we'll find out our scores soon, huh?"

"Sure will."

Jeremy sighed heavily as Odd's mouth opened.

"Before you ask, yes, I have it."

"Okay, just making sure we weren't about to cheat anyone."

"Speaking of cheating." Natalia chimed.

"Oho no, not this time missy. We're all honest students here."

"Sure hope so."

* * *

A giant mass of students approached the gymnasium, filtering inside to find several tables sorted by alphabetic letter.

Dozens of hearts raced from excitement and fear as groups approached every table, poring over packets of paper with student names printed onto the top sheets.

A bizarre procession of papers opening and surprised reactions, both good and bad, began arising in the air, and Odd fidgeted with his sleeve as Aelita handed him and Ulrich their results, though Emily smiled after looking inside hers.

Turning on her heel, she then spotted Jeremy and Natalia next to Yumi and William, and the four of them eyed the other four as they approached.

"Alright everyone, time to put the money where the mouth is."

Eight exam packets formed a circle, and one by one, the front pages were opened.

"Alright, the main wager was that if I, Odd Della Robbia, got a B average on all finals, Jeremy owes me twenty euros. If I get less than that, I owe him twenty."

Looking at Aelita, she smiled smugly after reading her grades.

"Three As, and one B in Foreign Language. Ninety four percent average."

Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"One A plus, in Algebra, two As, and one B, also in Foreign Language."

"Italian's still not his thing."

"Or German." Ulrich added.

"And Math was never yours, Stern. What did you pull off?"

Watching Yumi calmly, his eyes descended to the sheet, and then an eyebrow rose.

"B minus. Eight one percent."

"And the others?"

"B plus in history, a C plus in Science... and a solid A in language."

"Alright! That'll make your dad shut up for a little while huh?"

Aelita released a light breath of excitement after making eye contact with a confident Ulrich, after he met a high five from Odd.

"That's good. But it doesn't match two As and two Bs."

"You're in a higher grade anyway!"

"Doesn't matter. How about you, William?"

"Uhh... Two Bs, a C plus, and a C minus."

"Good enough." Yumi smiled, setting her hand on his shoulder.

Ulrich's mouth moved, but then settled when Emily discreetly put her arm around his backside.

Odd then breathed an exhale as all eyes turned to him.

"Alright, my turn."

His fingers pried open the sheet of paper, and both Ulrich and Aelita leaned towards his shoulders as he paused.

"Algebra II, C plus."

Several exhales arose, but Odd held up his finger.

"Social Studies, B plus."

Aelita's smile grew.

Still a B average...

"Science, a B, and Language..."

Eyes flitted between him and Jeremy.

"A nice big A plus."

A fantastic variety of expressions flew back and forth, and Aelita took the sheet from her boyfriend, confirming the grades.

"Sorry Jeremy, but that's a B plus average."

The blonde's nose wrinkled repeatedly as he fished out his wallet, thrusting two 10 euro notes at Odd, and Ulrich started chuckling as his friend accepted the money, and was then forcefully hugged by Aelita with a squeal.

"This only happened because you helped them, Aelita."

"Eee hee hee but nobody said I couldn't help them study!"

Yumi shook her head.

"Come on William. We're no longer needed here."

Purposefully ignoring them walking away, Ulrich turned to Emily when her phone chirped from a text message.

"My parents are here."

"Already?" He breathed, heart suddenly racing.

She looked up at him through her glasses, and then surrounded him in a hug that he eagerly returned.

"Come with me to my room."

Odd watched as they both walked away, and then looked at Jeremy and Natalia.

"Einstein, I've been wondering something. With Lyoko, and Xana and -."

"I know. I've been dreading this time each year. I don't know what it is, but I keep waiting for something to happen over the summer. Thankfully nothing does."

"Its as if Xana takes a vacation like we do."

"Maybe he doesn't like having no enemy around."

"Yeah right. With our luck we'll come back and he'll have all kinds of bad things cooked up. I'll keep an eye on things with my laptop, but I'll be out of town for a whole month."

"Is there any way you can stop an attack if we aren't around?"

"If I get creative, maybe. I've been working on something on and off. I just need more time now, and it might be able to work."

"What kind of something?"

"An emulation. In case Aelita can't get to Lyoko or a tower. Then I can run a program that replicates her interactions using her DNA sequencing. It'll shut off of the tower, and stop the attack if it works right."

"You can do that?"

"We'll see. I'm not positive."

Trading looks, Aelita touched her hand to her chin.

"Wouldn't you be able to run that every time he attacks, in theory?"

"Possibly. I didn't even think of that."

"Well I hope you aren't planning to replace me completely..." She sighed.

"I'm not even sure this will work Aelita. And even if it does, I'll only use it if you absolutely cannot get to a tower."

"If you say so."

Jeremy pursed his lips pensively.

"I"m assuming you both are going somewhere for the summer."

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Then that would at least allow us all to go places without worrying about how to get back to the factory. I promise that it will help in the long run."

"In the meantime, lets just hope for the best."

"Agreed."


	12. Chapter 12

Dozens of students laden with bags mingled in the school courtyard as parents slowly arrived, picking them up one by one as the afternoon progressed.

Sitting together against the wall, Odd, Aelita, Jeremy and Natalia recapped the past year at the Academy, only for their heads to turn as Ulrich walked past them by Emily's side. Nearby, her parents stood together, collecting her in a hug as she greeted them, and then relinquishing her as she turned and sauntered back over to the brunette boy, holding his hands.

A remarkable moment of admiration began as the quartet watched the scene, and after what appeared to be an address was presented to Ulrich, he then reached into a pocket, and with a hesitant blush, offered a much larger slip of paper back to her.

"The poem." Odd echoed.

The other three looked at him as he nodded proudly.

"Ulrich wrote a poem in German for her while we were studying. I helped him proofread it."

"That's wonderful." Aelita smiled. "I can't even imagine the effort it took."

Seeing the distant pair's blushes, Natalia cuddled closer to Jeremy.

"Those two really do like each other, don't they?"

Odd's eyebrows rose at Jeremy after Emily leaned into a kiss with Ulrich.

"I think its a bit beyond liking, Einstein."

"Guess so."

The brunette waved goodbye to her as she turned and walked away beside her parents, and then stood, watching her disappear with giddy heartache.

"He's gone head over heels."

Looking over at his friends nearby, Ulrich then hustled over, squatting down next to Odd.

"How'd it go, good buddy?"

"I did it." He breathed.

"We saw."

A bashful grin appeared on his face.

"I told her to read it once she's settled in out west. Then she can write to me."

"I think she'll have a hard time waiting."

"Probably. She'll end up texting and calling for sure."

Receiving his friend's humored looks, he blushed.

"I haven't felt like this in a while. Pretty excited but pretty bummed that she's gone for the summer."

"Going bananas?"

"Absolutely. Even more so when I'm stuck in Berlin."

"You'd better text and call us, Ulrich."

"I will. I'll be bored silly."

"Me too." Jeremy added heavily.

Odd's phone began ringing, and both his and Aelita's hearts began racing.

"They're here. I know it."

Standing to their feet, Odd and Aelita then turned and began hugging their friends.

"Best of luck guys, we'll be seeing you both again in two months."

"Have a nice time!"

"See you soon!"

Turning with their bags, Jeremy produced a chuckle.

"Don't have too much fun!" Ulrich yelled.

"Impossible!" Odd bantered back, joined by Aelita's giggle.

The spectacled blonde then looked at Natalia as Ulrich folded his arms with a smile.

"You can only imagine what kind of mischief they'll get into."

Aelita gripped Odd's hand as they walked, with Kiwi poking his head out of the suitcase, panting.

"Will everything be alright, I mean, with the cousin thing?"

"They don't know about it, but don't worry. Nobody's the wiser if we don't bring it up."

She nodded in response, but then looked forward as Odd suddenly sped up his pace.

"Mom! _Dad!_ "

Aelita followed behind, but then slowed to a halt as the blonde released his bag and her hand, and leaped up into a hug with a surprisingly muscular, tattooed man, only then to drop to his feet and curl into a hug with his darker haired mother.

"How's my boy been?"

"How was the school year? Did you pass?"

Looking at the couple, and then Odd, Aelita blinked with surprise at the combined outcome.

"Oho yeah, 10th grade was a real doozie. I've been great, and a few months ago I started dating Aelita here. She's super smart, and man is she a sweetheart! It's thanks to her that I passed all my finals. I'd be a lost cause without her!"

Aelita held her hands behind her back sheepishly as all three individuals eyed her with curiosity.

"Well I, uhh, just wanted to make sure Odd passed this year. He's always had a rough time before."

"Well that's excellent! Come on over here, don't be shy!"

She daintily walked over, and was then squeezed into a hug by Odd.

"So you're our boy's girlfriend... You know he's talked his head off about you."

"I love your hair dear, did you dye it?"

She shrugged in a blush.

"No no, its natural. Light red. My mother's shade."

"Stunning."

"Odd says your parents have you stay here over the summer. Can't imagine how boring that must be. Did he tell you the news?"

"Of course I did! Can she and I really go to the cottage?"

Looking at his wife, Odd's father then crossed his arms with interest.

"Let's take a look at your exam grades first."

Odd eyed Aelita smugly as he dug around in his bag for the paper after releasing Kiwi onto the ground, and a light grin lifted her cheeks as she produced her own paper for good measure.

"Here we are. Read it and weep."

Countering his son's remark with a smirk, his father snatched both papers.

His eyebrows rose as his wife then leaned against his shoulder.

"Boy you weren't kidding about Aelita here. As and Bs."

"Ooh I like her." His mother whispered.

"Lets see. A, two Bs, and a C plus. Hmm."

"I also won a bet with my friend Jeremy that I could pull off a B average."

Piquing his dad's curiosity, he smiled.

"How much."

"Twenty euros."

Looking over at his wife with a nod, his father then returned both papers to Aelita.

"Yeah. I think you two can go."

" _YES!_ " Odd pumped both his fists into the air, and then looped his arm with Aelita's after retrieving his suitcase.

His mother then scooped Kiwi up into her arms.

"Let's go ahead and get rolling. We still have to change the train tickets for tomorrow. Your sisters are already at summer camp, so you're lucky they aren't coming too."

Turning and heading towards the academy gate with the trio, Aelita blinked.

"We're taking a train?"

"Of course dear! Good heavens we've done enough commuting by airline. We usually take the Southeast line through Lyon, and then Southwest to Montpellier."

Odd grinned at his girlfriend with excitement.

"The fun has only just begun, princess."

Stowing their bags and piling into a dark green SUV, Aelita watched with fascination as the Academy vanished into the distance behind.

 _One week at a home, away from home. I think I can do this._

Feeling the warmth of Kiwi nuzzling against her leg, she reached down and scratched his belly, and then accepted Odd's hand when it appeared in her vision.

Rising up to his confident smile, she blushed lightly.

"Now Odd, we're not going to be there at the cottage so try to keep the place standing. Nothing should have changed since we there there in December. We'll give you both money for food."

"The train back to Paris will be departing around 4:30pm the following Sunday. It's direct, so make sure you catch it or you'll be walking home."

Seeing his father wink, Aelita blinked, but Odd gave her a pointed look.

 _He's joking._

Her eyes rolled.

 _I know, silly._

A light chuckle left the blonde's lungs, and their fingers mingled together, resting gently upon Kiwi's side as he dozed between them.

 _I wonder what we'll do after the cottage? Would love to do some more work on my mixes. We'll have free time for another five weeks._

A happy breath left her nose.

 _I bet Odd would be all over that. He loves my music, and he's creative. I think we need to collaborate and take over the DJ scene._

Her eyes flitted over to him, watching as his head turned from the window, to her.

 _Yes, this summer's fun has only just begun..._

* * *

 **END.**

 **Thanks for reading this, you bunch of awesome people. :) Stay tuned for Story 4 coming soon!**


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